tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post2114881220359656145..comments2023-12-30T17:31:11.883+00:00Comments on The Solitary Walker: Editing: A Dying Art?The Solitary Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-79838599699528407652011-02-17T10:29:29.966+00:002011-02-17T10:29:29.966+00:00Thanks, Caroline.Thanks, Caroline.The Solitary Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-54263870344143915402011-02-16T13:18:47.208+00:002011-02-16T13:18:47.208+00:00P.S. You might also enjoy this . . . short but def...P.S. You might also enjoy <a href="http://roguestrands.blogspot.com/2011/02/editing-process.html" rel="nofollow">this</a> . . . short but definitely sweet so far as editors are concerned.Caroline Gillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05203454486693014969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-38335060719783943642011-02-16T13:14:58.496+00:002011-02-16T13:14:58.496+00:00Thank you, Robert, for pointing us in the directio...Thank you, Robert, for pointing us in the direction of Clark's extraordinary article.Caroline Gillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05203454486693014969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-67302555552594220432011-02-15T22:40:07.512+00:002011-02-15T22:40:07.512+00:00Amanda - I think I'm in complete agreement wit...Amanda - I think I'm in complete agreement with you - the blogs I like, I like irrespective of all those formal aspects - I like soul, a communicative instinct, wit, subtlety, honesty, perception, enthusiasm and all the rest - above dotting i's and crossing t's. Of course! (Noting that your own spelling, punctuation and non-capitalisation are pretty consistent, though ;)<br /><br />People don't seem to say that a book was well-edited, it's true - but I have read a lot of critics lambasting a book for being badly-edited. Always the same, isn't it: when it goes well, nobody notices; when it goes badly once in a blue moon, everyone jumps on it. (My son's training to be a social worker, and my wife's a teacher, so I know all about this!)<br /><br />Very much like your blog, BTW - I've been catching up on it lately.The Solitary Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-76513363422610298462011-02-15T22:10:59.660+00:002011-02-15T22:10:59.660+00:00personally i see blogging as a looser way of commu...personally i see blogging as a looser way of communicating and as such don't worry as much about capitalizing and punctuation -- the environment of blogs strikes me as a more freeform place. however i completely adhere to these standards with traditional publishing.<br /><br />i once read, "no-one ever says that a book was well-edited!" maybe so, but i believe good writing and good editing are dependent upon one another. your concerns about editing standards and the burgeoning digital publishing age are certainly thought-provoking.Amanda Summerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00942636545948440422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-56114690502132770992011-02-15T20:38:24.156+00:002011-02-15T20:38:24.156+00:00Thanks Karin and Raph. Your comments are much appr...Thanks Karin and Raph. Your comments are much appreciated.<br /><br />And thanks also, am, for your long and interesting comment. I was aware you were a medical transcriptionist, but was not quite sure what that entailed.<br /><br />I think proofreading and copy-editing will be immensely satisfying at this time in my life. To work freelance from home would suit me very well. I got totally fed up of covering tens of thousands of motorway miles a year working as a publishers' sales agent. Like you, I have a penchant for all those things you mention: words, crossword puzzles, intuitive logic etc.<br /><br />The course so far (long-distance learning) - run by the Publishing Training Centre at Book House, London - is excellent, though I've only done one assignment so far.The Solitary Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-90593254360936243212011-02-15T19:22:02.870+00:002011-02-15T19:22:02.870+00:00I love books that are not only beautiful in conten...I love books that are not only beautiful in content but also in presentation, a truly holistic work of art, made to last and be cherished.<br /><br />There have been programmes about the relationships between writers and editors on TV, and I was impressed with the way good editors were able to assist authors with making small adjustments to the work, and to keep to their goals with timelines etc.Raph G. Neckmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02468502742144495020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-38346693255828956362011-02-15T17:31:18.760+00:002011-02-15T17:31:18.760+00:00Fascinating, Solitary Walker.
By trade, I am a p...Fascinating, Solitary Walker. <br /><br />By trade, I am a proofreader and editor of dictated medical documents. Until recently, my job consisted of listening to dictations (sometimes very difficult to understand because of background noise and other complications), editing grammar and punctuation and watching for discrepancies in medical information. <br /><br />These days we still do some of that transcribing from dictations and editing word-for-word (when the computer program cannot "understand" what is being said), but now we are mostly editing drafts that have been "read" by a computer program first. We listen and read the rough draft word-for-word, editing as we go along. <br /><br />We are editing by both sight and ear. It's satisfying behind-the-scenes work, at times frustrating, not very well paid (at least at the speed I can do the work), but I love the work because it requires intuition, a love of words, a love of accents and a love of puzzle-solving, and it allows me to work at home and determine my own work schedule.<br /><br />Happy to hear that you are on your way to being a proofreader! It is a satisfying art, isn't it?amhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09212213177713917828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-16900475162554988232011-02-14T14:19:27.892+00:002011-02-14T14:19:27.892+00:00I have to second Kiwi's comment...I was thinki...I have to second Kiwi's comment...I was thinking exactly the same thing. So I guess your already beginning to visually/graphically edit! The whole thing "pops" much more now and is easier on my sometimes weary eyes. <br /><br />As for grammar and editing... you know it's bad when I can spot all sorts of flaws in some of the stuff I see these days!ksamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01998231466478015431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-20203281555654373202011-02-14T06:02:08.567+00:002011-02-14T06:02:08.567+00:00Thanks, Kiwi. 'A change is as good as a rest&#...Thanks, Kiwi. 'A change is as good as a rest', as they say round here.The Solitary Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-12092426061474048682011-02-14T03:20:22.283+00:002011-02-14T03:20:22.283+00:00On a complete tangent here..... I love the new loo...On a complete tangent here..... I love the new look of your blog. It is very clear and easy to read, and I find the header photo totally inspiring.Kiwi Nomadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13351034705766073667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-24271875207967663242011-02-13T20:23:16.745+00:002011-02-13T20:23:16.745+00:00Thanks for all your responses to this.
You've...Thanks for all your responses to this.<br /><br />You've got a valid point, Friko. Though editorial standards within the best publishing houses remain pretty high, even now.<br /><br />Ruth - I'm really enjoying the course (distance learning) so far, and am very impressed with it. I have a feeling you might well like it. If your students want to get into publishing, the best thing is to get as good a degree as they can, then to attempt to get ANY job in publishing - no matter how 'lowly'. It may be easier to start in sales and marketing. Though what's easy nowadays?The Solitary Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-27798172632931695082011-02-13T18:34:29.706+00:002011-02-13T18:34:29.706+00:00I'm glad to have a peek too, Robert. I might w...I'm glad to have a peek too, Robert. I might want to follow in your footsteps in a few years.<br /><br />Of course this topic is much discussed in my English department, both among faculty and students who want to find something to do to earn money after graduation that has to do with books, editing, proofreading, etc. Even though I tell students all the time that Advertising is a field that matches their major well, there is something rather sad about the shift from editing books to advertising them as the location of so much attention and money.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-13910148893870885992011-02-13T18:24:57.692+00:002011-02-13T18:24:57.692+00:00Issues for bloggers? Definitely.
But we'd have...Issues for bloggers? Definitely.<br />But we'd have to self-edit rigorously to produce anything that an pass muster in a truly literary world.<br /><br />I forget how many books are published in the UK alone annually, how many of these are pulped very quickly, how many are on the three-for-two piles and how many make it into posterity.<br /><br />I have a feeling, I hope I'm wrong, that with books, as with everything else in this fast-moving and pared-down (to the lowest common denominator) world we live in, quality is of secondary importance.<br /><br />Why take care over editing when tomorrow the book being edited has sunk into oblivion?Frikohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04277167831642088694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-28900171618254085612011-02-13T16:58:16.864+00:002011-02-13T16:58:16.864+00:00I appreciate this fascinating spotlight on a part ...I appreciate this fascinating spotlight on a part of the publishing process that is as crucial as it is underappreciated and unscrutinized. I am sure there are issues for bloggers. It would be nice to see a collection of pieces by famous writers of their experiences, positive and negative, with editors. Good luck with the course.Lorenzo — Alchemist's Pillowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07522265816460154722noreply@blogger.com