Letters to the Editor
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Poison-penning 'midst the praise
I enjoyed this article very much. However, I strongly disagree with Mr. Kamiya's assertions that writing is harder than editing; that editing is "merely" reactive; and that "rewriting someone else's prose...is easier than writing your own." These comments were startlingly inflammatory in such a harmonious piece.
It is easier by far to write your own material than it is to clarify ideas or improve awkward format in someone else's work so that it blends in seamlessly, as good editing should. Feeling your way into the heart of a story so that you can refine it without losing the writer's voice or intent--without tarnishing that precious reflection of the writer's soul--is unquestionably a creative process in and of itself.
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Excellent article!
I've been both an editor and one of those writers who so depend on them. Frankly, I love doing both jobs. The writing and reporting are a blast and have allowed me to get out and do things I might otherwise not have done, and the editing can be a wonderful intellectual and artistic exercise.
Let me tell you, though: I have also been the victim of a horrible, horrible editor. This person was so bad, I came to wonder how they got their job. They so badly mangled one of my pieces that it came back to me with mistakes in it that I had not made! They then had the gall to turn around and tell me I had done a poor job, and they didn't think they should give me any more assignments. Yeah, that relationship didn't end well.
This article came to me at a very crucial time: I've been away from the desk, so to speak, for a couple of years, and I'm starting to dust off my freelancing shoes again. Thank you for an energizing, motivating read!
~Jen M.
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About those blogs...
No doubt editors are a wonderful and necessary for some kinds of writing. That's great.
I don't want an editor for my grocery list. If I can hand my list to somebody and have it understood then my writing skills are fine.
I don't want an editor for my blog. A good post pushes back against the pleasing but misleading conventions of writing for publication.
Your piece succinctly makes the point that published writing generally says very little, very pleasantly.
Like a grocery list, a good blog is about real things. The focus is not on the writer, or the writing, but on the absurd world we find ourselves in.
And- if you don't get that point- maybe you're part of the absurdity.