Never Argue With A Person Who Buys Their Ink By The Barrel
Posted by admin on 03/26/08 in Writing and Speaking
Being an editor can be difficult (especially when you have a writer living inside you). However, I have some tips for those of you who have to deal with those Big Blue Meanies! But first, let me tell you how this all came about before we go into the Tips part of this little piece.
I moved to the Sierra Nevada western slope (the beginning of California gold country) and somehow wrangled my way onto the local newspaper staff. (In my formative years I never took an English class past the 7th grade. Either on the newspaper or yearbook staff, I cut my teeth on a typewriter). Previously in marketing and advertising I could not find a decent-paying job in the mountains. Newspaper work I knew I could do so I started as a typesetter which means I typed the newspaper and headlines and we are not talking about using computers here. This was over 20 years ago.
As things go on a local weekly newspaper - the only true bastion of pure and free journalism left in this country - I was on assignment the first week, camera in tow. The publisher and I left in his banged up Chevy Blazer, crossed the Merced River Gorge on two wheels, and headed into the heart of gold country where I was to report a new gold discovery.
Within six months I was managing editor of California’s oldest continuous published weekly, The Mariposa Gazette and Miner and a tabloid shopper The Poise ‘N Oak and feeling like I finally found a job made in heaven. To this day that was the best job I ever had. When the ink gets under your skin, you are an addict for sure – there is no cure.
The great part about the job was not just the writing (which I did a lot of and have loved all my life) it is all the other stuff you get to do. Work the dark room, develop pictures, work the big and small cameras, lay out the newspaper, handle subscriptions, edit, write, report, and typeset - everything.
I think my favorite part was interviewing people (a technique I have refused to let go, even today). Being a women AND a reporter makes me incredibly curious - period. Working on a weekly newspaper is the one place where you get to learn the entire publishing business from start to finish. I cherish those moments forever. I highly recommend finding a job on a small weekly paper. You get paid pennies but the experience is worth a million bucks!
A matter of personal style
Editing itself is a matter of personal style, except of course, for - ahem - spelling, grammar, and usage. Style, that is one thing. Errors in the grammar, usage, and spelling department - that’s a whole ‘nother banana - one you are likely to slip on if you do not pay attention!
This will turn an editor off quicker than you can say journalism! This will make him or her drop your piece like a hot potato.
An editor, cynical creature that he or she is, thinks like this: What the hell is this crap? If you do not take the time to check these things out - what kind of writer are you? I am not talking about the words you make up or colloquialisms you use. Metaphors and analogies - these things are all great - in their proper place.
But grammar and spelling - c’mon people - these things are basic. I am not saying I have not made these errors - we all have - but it is hard on your readers.
Ever stumble over a sentence you have read? Go back and re-read it. Are there pieces missing? With the advent of computers, we have taken to editing on screen.
Big mistake!
Print your document out - and here is a tip for proofreading - read backwards. Start at the end and read each word backwards. You will catch more than a few errors.
Nowadays with computers and tools (that option on your Microsoft Word toolbar) grammar and spelling issues should virtually disappear. Bottom line is - if you have not taken enough time to get the grammar and usage right or the correct spelled word – who is to say your facts are correct? You have lost credibility with the first misspelled word or poor grammar.
My problem is that it is hard for me to proofread what I have written. What do I do? Walk away from it. Let it sit. Give it to someone else. What ever you do - find something that works for you. Make it work! It is worth the wait.
Do not be so impatient to get on line with this stuff. Remember when you are writing online generally you are you own editor except for one thing - all readers become editors. Repeat it to yourself: All readers become editors!
Understand what you are writing. Never call an opinion piece a news article. Or a feature a hard news piece. You will look like a fool.
Here are a few clues to differentiate between the various kinds of articles that might appear in a newspaper, in an ezine, or online.
News Articles should include the sacred who, what, where, when, why and how! (Actually any piece should have this element). It does not matter if your verbiage is creative - your facts just cannot be.
Ever heard of libel? I have been sued for it (of course I was safe - I had my facts in a row - besides it was a frivolous lawsuit anyway - the guy was against my series of articles on a local hot topic). Stick to the facts. Convey all sides of the story, where ever possible.
You cannot express your opinion in a news piece. It is verboten! Though of course, at any time, turn on your television and what do you have? Opinion, not news! But then again we know these folks are not true journalists. Most of them are just actors. Someone else writes their copy. (This is opinion here).
Feature Articles are those soft pieces you will be most likely to find in the Lifestyles sections of your newspaper, magazine, or ezine. They are usually written about someone or something of interest to the community. The artist down the road who used to paint backdrops for Disney - or the old Miner working the last gold of the SweetWater Mine. These pieces are more about people than events.
Sports Articles are by far, in my opinion of course, the hardest to write. You do not have a lot of latitude with and he scored 6 points after an end-line run. The crowd went wild!
Columns(or the more prevalent online Blogs) tend toward more essay-op-ed pieces (opinion-editorial). Columns and Blogs are a great place to break out. Erma Bombeck was one such columnist.
How To Articles are not really news, not really features. They are in a class all by themselves. Generally, how-to pieces I used to put into the shopper because they usually focused on something around the house. How to fix the furnace, how to build that garden shed, etc. You will find these next to the cartoons, crosswords and all that fun stuff.
Creative Writing is what it says. It is writing and it is creative. Not a lot of definition needed here.
Fiction generally not found in a newspaper or newsletter unless it is seasonal and if long, can be run in a series. And the genres here are too numerous to mention.
Nonfiction we have come full circle. Nonfiction is generally fact-based, unless you are Truman Capote and then it reads like a story. In Cold Blood was fact-based but he presumed a lot by creating dialogue that he really was not party to. In Cold Blood created a whole new genre of non-fiction writing. But you should know that by now if you have seen Capote.
If you are a real writer then you will keep at your side (until you memorize it) this simple little book
It addresses all those harrowing issues. Its or it’s? Lay or Lie? Affect or Effect? Complement or Compliment? He and I or Him and me? Assent or Ascent.
These may seem like small things - but as a writer - you, of all people, must know the difference. Most editors do!
If your writing is strong and clean (less is more!) and you have taken care of your grammar, usage and spelling issues - before long you will find people clamoring for more.
©2007 by Laurie Brenner. All Rights Reserved.
Publishing guidelines: You are more than welcome to publish any of my articles as long as you include my byline and provide a link back to one of my websites. As a courtesy, please send me an email at wildwind@wildwindenterprises.com when you publish my article or story.
About the Author: Laurie Brenner, formerly editor of California’s Oldest Continuously Published Weekly, The Mariposa Gazette and Miner, and author of The Little Book of Becoming - Understanding the Law of Attraction now writes for The View From The Western Slope where she shares insights into the law of attraction, the art of becoming, being happy now and stories of her own experiences. Visit http://www.wildwindenterprises.com where you can read the story of how she and her husband built the house of their dreams using the law of attraction! Also check out: http://www.wildwindebooks.com and http://www.law-of-attraction-masters.com
Tags: editor, Elements of Style, grammar, spelling, style, Writing
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