This is what *not* to do
One of the key messages I hoped I got across in the workshop I did a few weeks ago over was how important good communication is between an editor and a writer.
A big part of good communication is how you treat the other person. Case in point? This writer, who was a little peeved about being edited. (Uhm, before you click, there’s some not nice language in there). I respect his right to be upset about changing his meaning, but I don’t see how that kind of response is going to make any editor, let alone the one he was writing to, want to work with him again.
I did think The Guardian had a pretty great response though.
I’ve been on both sides of this fence, and yeah, it sucks to have your words twisted and changed and manipulated without your knowledge (Worse when the rewritten version is riddled with spelling and grammatical mistakes, but I’m not bitter. Much. *grin*), but a ‘hey, can we talk about this’ goes a heck of a lot farther than ‘you’re a $%**#$!’ for relationship-building and sets a better tone for work in the future. And really, do you want to get a reputation for being insulting and difficult to work with?
Thanks to Kathy Kehrli for the links.
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OMG.
Okay this is why I say don’t burn your bridges. The agent cartel at Nationals talked about this. Each agent had 5 pearls of wisdom to share with writers. One agent, don’t have my notes to say who, talked about 5 things writers do to shoot themselves in the proverbial foot.
One was (and the agent said this was a true story), Don’t write EFF OFF to your copy editor when you should write STET.
Another was don’t get drunk at the bar at Nationals after the HQ party and blab about your contract points in front of others, especially when you both have the same agent. That apparently happened this year too.
Is that really all there is to it because that’d be flabbregtaisng.
Glad you found it interesting, Laurie. At one time or another, I think every writer has been where Giles was, but man, there are far more professional ways of dealing with that kind of situation.
Yikes. Yes, I’ve been edited in the final stages and had my words moved around and the meaning and voice altered into something I hadn’t intended. Yes it sucks.
However, what anyone thinks they can do by being abusive is beyond me. You can bring it up, and I have in the past, by being professional and courteous because the edit wasn’t done out of a need to harm you as an author, it’t not personal in a negative sense. But that sort of attack letter makes it personal in the worst sort of way.
Laurie,
One word: Wow. Just wow. I am appalled at the writer, not only for his use of disrespectful language, but also for not ascertaining who was responsible for removing the article “a” before sending that flame email. It could simply have been a matter of a sub-editor accidentally hitting delete and not noticing.
It’s never okay to burn bridges like that, and it sounds a bit pretentious to infer that anyone’s writing is so untouchable that it approaches Gospel. All this for one article? I shudder to think of the email storm if the sub-editor switched out an adverb.
When dealing with others (especially in a professional capacity), I keep in mind something my mother told me: “Be nice to the people on the bottom of the ladder as you climb up, because you’ll have to deal with them when you fall back down.” Translation: Don’t step on people just because you can. Treat everyone, even those you don’t like or agree with, kindly. You get more flies with honey and all that.
I LOVED the response of the sub-editors from “the Guardian.” A brilliant, tongue-in-cheek response that kept me laughing. I’m surprised the publisher let them print the response with all that cursing, though. Thanks for sharing the links Laurie!
Warm regards,
Michelle Lauren|http://michellellaurenbooks.com|Now a Dorchester/Romantic Times American Title V finalist!
Late to the party (as usual)
LMAO at both the original letter and the response. Priceless.
I’d say ‘lesson learned’ but heavens, not even in my bitchiest moment could I be that horrible – to anyone!!
The response was brilliance in itself