The People Have Spoke
I was able to turn a recent blog entry into a letter to the editor in today's Baltimore Sun. At least my blogging was good for something. You can see what was published here.
I'm always happy when one of my letters is printed but I really hate when they massage my words. Today's letter, for instance, is not how I originally sent it in. I won't claim the edited version is better: I'm a serious blogger for heaven's sake! I'd like to meet the guy who modified my words. It better not have been some snot-nosed intern blue-lining my prose and looking for clichéd writing. I always avoid clichéd writing!
Like the plague.
K-
Cool beans.
Of course, in hindsight it occurred to me that I did send a letter to the *editor*. What am I thinking? That I send a letter to the *editor* and he's not going to do his job? What kind of editor would he be if he didn't edit?
K-
Excellent! You know, this whole no smoking in public places thing is sweeping the nation. It's just a matter of time before it's everywhere. I wonder if they'll one day outlaw tobacco.
Kem, the editor was probably some sad-faced lifer who's trying to shave words and lines off the letters to fill a not-big-enough space. That's actually a firsthand description of a guy I used to work with when I was on the editorial and op-ed pages at The San Francisco Examiner (Hearstian slogan: "The Monarch of the Dailies"). That sort of editing is high craft in the right person's hands (sheer hack-work in the wrong ones); when papers stop being on paper, that craft will fall by the wayside because, gee, you don't have to edit letters for length. I have heard some editors (not me) who feel that spelling errors and such should not be fixed in letters since it's more reflective of the readers and their opinions to run them gruesome orthography, butchered syntax, over-exercised phrasing and all.
That's a fine letter, by the way. My sad-faced friend would have tried to get it all in.
The editor made one part of my letter better. The other changes seemed neutral to my unprofessional eye. My letter wasn't shortened.
K-