Re: Editing issues

**"Marge Talt" m*@hort.net**

This thread has been most interesting to me, since I basically write
for the web and write what I want without someone changing it for any
reason.  The two articles I have had published in print media turned
out to bear only a passing resemblance to what I had actually written
(and I've heard from others who have had this same experience). 
Unfortunately, one of the changes made changed the meaning of what I
had written and left the readers with an erroneous impression...but,
that's beside the point.

Since most of you seem to write for print, you appear to be used to
having someone chop and dice your work; some of you appear to approve
of arbitrary cutting, whether it changes the sense of what was
written or not.  Carolyn's post indicates that others of you do not
accept this with equanimity.

My question is:  What do you all see as the purpose of an editor?  Is
it to correct glaring errors or re-write what was submitted.  If the
latter, I have to wonder why editors just don't write the material
themselves, rather than solicit (or accept) work from authors and
then make major changes to it.  

Now, I'm not really talking about  grammatical or punctuation errors,
but more about major changes in the way the words are put together -
which, it appears to me, is, or should be, part of why you accept or
ask a particular person to write about something, since how they use
words does reflect their view and personality.  Let us assume the
given that the "author" has the ability to write in good form and an
interesting manner to begin with.

I can understand the need to make copy for newspapers fit into a
specific amount of space.  I am sure that magazines have similar
issues.  But, beyond fitting into a given space, why do editors feel
the need to change text to the extent that it appears they do?  And,
beyond this, why, if they want to change something, don't they
discuss this with the author?  It seems to be some sort of tradition
- that editors can make arbitrary changes - if this is true, where
did that start and why is it valid?

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
-----------------------------------------------
Current Article: Variegation on the Green Theme - Part One
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/shade_gardening
------------------------------------------------
Complete Index of Articles by Category and Date
http://mtalt.hort.net/article-index.html
------------------------------------------------
All Suite101.com garden topics :
http://www.suite101.com/topics.cfm/635

----------
> From: Carolyn Ulrich <cultivated@sbcglobal.net>
> 
> But not if the ending links the story back to the introduction and
ties > the whole thing together. Chopping off the ending leaves the
reader 
> hanging and makes the writer feel really embarrassed. carolyn
ulrich
> On Monday, October 20, 2003, at 10:56 AM, FRIELSTER@aol.com wrote:
> 
> > Chopping off the ending is what they SHOULD do. That's why
newspaper 
> > writers
> > are taught "inverted pyramid" style, to get the most important
facts 
> > out
> > first.

_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters

GWL has searchable archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters

Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos

Post gardening questions/threads to
"Organic-Gardening" <organic-gardening@lists.ibiblio.org>

For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters