Thank you so much for saying that! Because none of us had any real prior experience, I was making it all up the whole time. I think I got the red pen idea because of one teacher who wrote a big red NO! at the top of one of my papers. And then later I found out that a lot of editors did use the red pen method so it wasn't so innovative after all.
I had two editors at two different times in my career — at a small newspaper and at the newsletter for a major hospital system in Chicago —use this very effective editors note: “hunh?” when confronted with a sentence that didn’t quite land. So helpful. Truly. You could hear the exasperation of those consonants running into one another. Another favorite editor would write out in black ink, in his perfect print , compliments and suggestions at the bottom
of a print out of my feature stories and “what’s workings” for the PR Intelligence Report newsletter, reserving the red pen for copy edits. (Reader, I married him). I owe my Washington Post Magazine fun and success to the excellent editor David Rowell, who typed the kindest and funniest notes on Washington Post notebook paper that he included with my copies of the magazine. I absolutely struggle with “track changes” changes because just like Slack the app, it does the opposite of what it promises.
I love love love an editor who’s liberal with praise! Having spent the last five years in the corporate copywriting realm where writers only hear what’s wrong with their work, I realized how important excited, expressive editors are to good writing, and making better writers. By then end of my time in that world I was convinced I was a terrible writer. After all these years! A little praise goes such a long way for everyone involved.
Thanks for that acknowledgment! As you can tell, it comes from a very sincere excitement and joy on my part when I encounter good writing. But then that checkmark system is definitely also a way of saying, let's keep doing more of this great stuff! And then, of course, there are the circling of phrases accompanied by notations (on sections containing conventional wording that has become meaningless, for example) that that is not the type of writing I'm interested in publishing here, so maybe let's do less of that for this particular publication. You know all this! Thank you again for saying it!
My pleasure! I think it’s so important to get both the check marks and the circles. I’ve always loved good editors because they keep me from looking like an idiot. To get editors that only respond with the circles is so disheartening. Everyone involved suffers for it. I want to have a party over a great sentence!
Happy Birthday, Christina! I hope it's spectacular!🥳 I'm a red pen editor myself, when reading my students' papers, Jane! I'll be getting my first batch of the year in soon...good times! 🤦♀️
I love these behind the scenes glimpses into how Sassy worked. Thank you for showing us your magic.
Thank you so much for saying that! Because none of us had any real prior experience, I was making it all up the whole time. I think I got the red pen idea because of one teacher who wrote a big red NO! at the top of one of my papers. And then later I found out that a lot of editors did use the red pen method so it wasn't so innovative after all.
I had two editors at two different times in my career — at a small newspaper and at the newsletter for a major hospital system in Chicago —use this very effective editors note: “hunh?” when confronted with a sentence that didn’t quite land. So helpful. Truly. You could hear the exasperation of those consonants running into one another. Another favorite editor would write out in black ink, in his perfect print , compliments and suggestions at the bottom
of a print out of my feature stories and “what’s workings” for the PR Intelligence Report newsletter, reserving the red pen for copy edits. (Reader, I married him). I owe my Washington Post Magazine fun and success to the excellent editor David Rowell, who typed the kindest and funniest notes on Washington Post notebook paper that he included with my copies of the magazine. I absolutely struggle with “track changes” changes because just like Slack the app, it does the opposite of what it promises.
Now, about that birthday corsage, Christine.
Happy birthday Christina!
I love love love an editor who’s liberal with praise! Having spent the last five years in the corporate copywriting realm where writers only hear what’s wrong with their work, I realized how important excited, expressive editors are to good writing, and making better writers. By then end of my time in that world I was convinced I was a terrible writer. After all these years! A little praise goes such a long way for everyone involved.
Thanks for that acknowledgment! As you can tell, it comes from a very sincere excitement and joy on my part when I encounter good writing. But then that checkmark system is definitely also a way of saying, let's keep doing more of this great stuff! And then, of course, there are the circling of phrases accompanied by notations (on sections containing conventional wording that has become meaningless, for example) that that is not the type of writing I'm interested in publishing here, so maybe let's do less of that for this particular publication. You know all this! Thank you again for saying it!
My pleasure! I think it’s so important to get both the check marks and the circles. I’ve always loved good editors because they keep me from looking like an idiot. To get editors that only respond with the circles is so disheartening. Everyone involved suffers for it. I want to have a party over a great sentence!
I am right there with you! Let's party together the next one either of us sees!
Got my party dress on and I’m ready to go!
Happy Birthday, Christina! I hope it's spectacular!🥳 I'm a red pen editor myself, when reading my students' papers, Jane! I'll be getting my first batch of the year in soon...good times! 🤦♀️
I'm jealous! Enjoy that whole process, fellow editor!
Lol - don't be!!! 🤣