Re: Editing issues

**"Sandie Parrott" r*@comcast.net**

Marge,

I once wrote an article about breast cancer for the local newspaper.
The editor agreed with my "pitch" that it should be informational and
not threatening or scary...the idea being encouraging women to get
mammograms and talk to their doctor more.

  The story was published with a totally different slant.  They used
words like horrifying, invasive, terrified, etc.  There were even
changes to quotes!  I never knew an editor would do that.  Isn't that
illegal or immoral or something?  There were glaring mistakes and
choppy paragraphs.  I was really upset.  I asked the editor what
happened to the article we originally talked about.  Her answer was
that a junior editor rewrote the piece and she wasn't sure if she
knew what the slant was supposed to be.

It wasn't all right, and she knew it.  Of course I couldn't raise hell
or
I wouldn't get any more assignments.  I just recently wrote another
piece for her.  I figured if it happened again I wouldn't write for
her
anymore.  Well this time, she gave me lots of time to write it and
she really presented it nicely, with companion articles that rounded
out the story.  I have another assignment that I "pitched" and she is
working with me along the way.

I don't know what the moral of this story is...but I will say that as
we
get to know each other, it seems less likely that this poor editing
might happen again.  I hope.

Sandie Parrott

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marge Talt" <mtalt@hort.net>
To: "GWL" <gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2003 12:52 AM
Subject: Re: [GWL] Editing issues

> 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
> -----------------------------------------------
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> http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/shade_gardening
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>
> ----------
> > 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.
>
>
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