If you haven’t visited @FakeAPStylebook on Twitter, you should — even if purely for the entertainment factor. As mentioned in an article, this Twitter sensation offers memorable nuggets of writing advice, particularly interesting to those of us whose lives are ruled by the APA, MLA and AP guidebooks.

Since October 2009, Fake AP Stylebook has filled the gap for a satirical attack on the topic of language. The site attracted 1,000 followers on the first day — and now with over 150,000 — it is clearly catching the attention of many loyal fans. The founders, Ken Lowery and Mark Hale, even have a book deal in the works! [In Bookstores Spring 2011, from Three Rivers Press]

Quoted in PRSA’s PR Tactics, Lowery says, “The account was a joke between some friends and me. We’d just hit on a good comedy prompt and see how far we could take it before the joke ran out of steam or we lost interest. Once we got some vindication that the joke had legs, we made the account.”

When asked about the Fake AP Stylebook’s effect, Lowery says, “The reception has been largely positive and sometimes surprising. That said, I know at least one of us has been told by a colleague that they’re concerned the Fake AP Stylebook will steer students of the English language down the wrong path, even if we have ‘fake’ right there in our name. So you can’t please everyone all the time.”

Here are a few of the hysterical tweets you’ll find on @FakeAPStylebook:

• Avoid repeating common myths: we only use 10% of our brains, drink 8 glasses of water a day, man landed on the moon.
• Roman numerals are neither Roman nor numeric. They’re, like, letters, right? Are we the only ones seeing this?
• Do not use quotes inside quotes inside quotes; you’ll get lost if you go that deep into the sentence.
• Include plenty of rainbows and unicorns when writing your organization’s marketing plan. Everybody loves rainbows and unicorns.
• internet – Wires and something? We’re looking into it.
• Op-ed: May only be written by men named Ed who wear vintage 1980s surfer clothing.
• When interviewing third-party candidates, try not to snicker when they discuss their chances of being elected.
• Sprinkle the word ‘quantum’ throughout science articles, particularly if you have no idea what you’re talking about.
• Never say anything about a colleague in a private e-mail that you wouldn’t put in print, since it’s going to end up there anyway.

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