Can Someone Tell Me Why A Stranger Would Do This Much Work On My Writing?
@windchimebooks (314)
United States
May 12, 2009 2:25pm CST
Okay, I'm the first to admit I just don't get most people. That's just me. So I'm still scratching my head over this matter.
I write for several Internet sites and people contact me now and again, to say he or she liked a piece or just to say hello, whatever. I'm always glad to hear from others most of the time, no problem there. Last week, though, a fellow writer on a site sent an e-mail through the site. She had read one of my short humor pieces on said site and she decided to edit it. She edited every single sentence in this short piece. The article was only three paragraphs long.
Aside from the fact that, including the Internet site, I've already sold this same piece to several different magazines over the years so that it has already been published just as it is a couple of times, I wouldn't have minded really if any of her remarks had been particularly helpful and hers weren't bad ideas overall. The only thing was she basically just wanted me to rewrite the whole thing in her style. Every sentence in her e-mail started with "Now I would have written this statement this way..." It was never an improvement over the original, it was just that she wanted me to change my writing style to her writing style.
Sometimes people will send suggestions, no biggie. I don't really mind that, sometimes they do have good suggestions. However, to edit every single sentence in a short piece, just to change it to her writing style, kind of amazed me. I looked at her bio, she had just started writing at a later age and had a couple of things, maybe 8 or so, published. (She obviously didn't look at my bio. If she had she would have known that I have much more experience as a writer and have had a lot more work published.)
I also looked at some of her articles on this same site. I would like to say they weren't good, but actually her work was pretty good overall. She writes in a totally different style than my own, but she's not a bad writer.
Here's what I don't get. Why would someone take all that time to edit every single sentence of a stranger's work, especially when that stranger never asked for such help? I had never heard from this woman or heard of her until she contacted me with this very thorough, although rather useless, editing exercise.
I develop and teach writing classes, so I know how much time it can take to edit another's work. It takes a lot of hours and review to do this. So why would someone who didn't even know me do this much work, rather than concentrating on her own writing? Like I said, her style is very different, but she's actually a good writer overall. You can tell from her work that she's not totally experienced yet with her writing, but she's on her way. So it's not like she doesn't have the talent to do her own work. So why take all that time to go to all that trouble and edit every single sentence in a very short piece of mine, just to try to suggest basically that I write in her style rather than my own, when the woman doesn't know me at all and obviously isn't interested in knowing me since she didn't even bother to read my bio on the site?
I personally think she probably meant well, so I just didn't answer her or say anything back to her. Still, that was a great deal of editing for her to do on my piece, when it really wasn't even useful editing. What do you guys think? Why would someone do this? Not a big deal really. I'm just curious since, like I said, I don't really always understand people myself. Thanks for your thoughts here.
4 people like this
7 responses
@photobug (157)
• United States
13 May 09
I wouldn't report this woman. After all, that's what writing is all about; providing ideas and accepting comments. She did seem to go overboard, though. Maybe she just completed a creative writing course or got a new job as a copy editor. I'd just reply and tell her she has some interesting ideas and that it must have taken her a while to edit your piece. I'd be curious to see what she says.
1 person likes this
@windchimebooks (314)
• United States
13 May 09
Yes, I didn't want to automatically report her right away lest she didn't mean any harm. I did actually contact her and explain the situation first. See the reply to the comment just above yours. I'll be curious myself to see her reply.
I actually don't mind when people make suggestions for the most part. Some people do have good suggestions and we all can use help with writing now and again. Like you said,though, it was just this "overboard" stuff that amazed me. At any rate, I've taken someone else's suggestion and let her know that while I can handle this, it might not be a good idea to randomly select pieces to edit because that could crush a beginning writer who might just give up if every line of his or her piece has been edited by someone else. Here is hoping she just meant to help, for who knows what reason, and when she gets my e-mail she may think twice about what she is doing.
On another subject, I notice your user i.d. is photobug and that's an absolutely great image you are using as your avatar. Did you make that photo? If so, it is a very nice shot.
1 person likes this
@photobug (157)
• United States
13 May 09
Sorry, I thought I read all the comments. I didn't think of how this type editing might influence a new writer. I hope you get a response from her.
Yes, I took the photo for my avatar. I joined a camera club 20 years ago and really got addicted to photography. I've been using a digital camera for about three years and love how easy it is to post photos on the internet. I have hundreds of slides I should scan, but it's time-consuming.
I write web pages for squidoo and use a lot of my photos. One page that has more butterfly pictures is about milkweed. http://www.squidoo.com/milkweed
You can see all my pages from this link, but they don't all have my own photographs. I mention in the opening paragraph if the photos are mine. http://www.squidoo.com/burntchestnut-squidoo-lenses
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
12 May 09
This is really scary. I think this lady is insecure and has to make herself feel better by taking control of other people. If she had done this to me, I would have reported her to the site, as she is way out of order here. You are an experienced writer, and treated this episode with the contempt it deserved, but someone new to internet writing could have been seriously undermined by this behaviour. People like that need to be stopped. before they make other people as insecure as they are.
@windchimebooks (314)
• United States
13 May 09
Hmmm, now that's a useful viewpoint I hadn't really thought of before. Here I am thinking of trying to be kind to her, lest she was just trying to be helpful for who knows what reason, but since this came out of the blue I can't be the only writer that she contacted with this so-called editing.
On the other hand, while I had decided not to contact her, I think what I will do is e-mail her first, thank her for her efforts, but suggest she read other people's bios before she decides to jump in and edit their work for them, and I'll point out how damaging such a editing job could be to a beginning writer. That way she may think twice before doing this again (especially if I send her her some scans of the article in question where it was published in other magazines). If I get a rude reply or she doesn't bother to reply, then I will report her.
I was just blown away that she edited every line, and the editing wasn't even necessary (I will also point out to her that her editing seems to be simply geared toward changing another writer's work to her style, which isn't that helpful overall). Anyway, if she answers and it appears she was just trying to be helpful (granted in a misguided way) and didn't really think about what she was doing then she will back off of such behavior. If she sends a rude reply or doesn't bother to answer at all, then I will report her to the site since you have an excellent point there. Thanks for your thoughts here. They helped a lot.
1 person likes this
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
13 May 09
Glad to help. After all, isn't that what Mylot is all about, getting other viewpoints? I'm a fairly new member, but I like what I'm seeing, particularly among the writing 'Mylotters.'
1 person likes this
@underdogtoo (9579)
• Philippines
13 May 09
I can tell that you love to write and will write about anything that you care about. Congratulations!!
1 person likes this
@windchimebooks (314)
• United States
13 May 09
Yes, you are right. I do love to write and I will write about what I care about.
At one time in my life I just wrote to get published, it didn't matter what I wrote as long as it had a shot at getting published. That got old after several years and, like I just told the other person who responded, I got suffered from burn out with my writing.
Now, these days are different. And you are right. If I care about something, I write about it. And writing is so much fun again. Now I only write about things I care about, and it's so much more rewarding.
Thanks for your response and your kind words.
1 person likes this
@paid2write (5201)
•
13 May 09
I don't understand that person either. It seems she is rather over-enthusiastic about helping other people.
I have had professional training and some work experience in editing. I would only make suggestions If I had been asked for some help or advice by the writer, or when requested to do so by a publisher.
I can tell from your post that your writing does not require further editing.
I also received a 'helpful' message once about one of my articles. The person picked on three words she thought were typing errors or words that do not exist. Had she looked them up in a dictionary she would have found each of those words, known they were correctly used, and seen there were no spelling or typing errors involved!
@windchimebooks (314)
• United States
13 May 09
Yes, I've always thought you were a very good writer as well. In fact, I tend to read your responses to others, not only because they always strike me as insightful, but also because they are always helpful and very well written.
I've had a few experiences from picky people like the one who chose the three words in one of your pieces. I always wonder why people take the time to do that. I think people must have large egos to do so. On the other hand, I was really surprised that this woman edited every line. That really is egotistical when you think about it. Plus, like you, I would never edit anyone's work unless it was handed in as a class assignment or a person asked me for help. In fact, I try very hard not to edit because it is just so much work and takes so much time. I can't imagine someone devoting that much time to do such an editing job, when it was never requested or even needed.
Oh well, takes all kinds I guess. I wasn't even going to contact her, but then someone pointed out that if she does this to a beginning writer she could crush that would-be author. So I wrote and explained that the piece she edited has already been published several times, so really doesn't need more editing. I told her that her editing was merely an attempt to change another writer's style to her own, that even though she is a good writer that different writing styles make for more interesting reading, and that she needs to be careful with simply picking out pieces to randomly edit lest she crush a beginner's spirit. We'll see if she answers or how she answers. I think she probably got carried away, didn't bother to read my bio, and for some odd reason thought she would "help me out." Who knows why. I'll never understand people like this. Thanks for your reply.
1 person likes this
@paid2write (5201)
•
13 May 09
Thank you for your nice comment on my response.
I have now officially been appointed as a Channel Steward at Helium. One of the stewarding tasks is to contact writers and tell them you have some ideas which may help them, if they are interested. Offer before giving advice.
@scheng1 (24650)
• Singapore
13 May 09
Hi Windchime, that is a very funny experience.
Should I go around and edit Tom Clancy's works? Maybe I should spend the next year edit every single line, then tell everyone that I have edited all his works. Guess that is one way to get famous, for the wrong reason!
I can't think of any reason for her to edit line by line. If she has taken the time to write an original piece, based on your concept, she can at least say that her work is inspired by your work.
1 person likes this
@windchimebooks (314)
• United States
13 May 09
Ha, that's a funny viewpoint, made me laugh. Yea, just kind of blew me away that she edited every single line in such a short piece. I don't know how I manage to attract this type of person but seems like I always do somehow, when I never even heard of her or didn't know her at all. Go figure. Thanks for your nice reply. I enjoyed reading your response.
1 person likes this
@taloninja (54)
• United States
12 May 09
I agree with Sandra...this was wholly out of line. I write too, nothing professional, just fun stuff really, but when somebody does this to me, I report it.
1 person likes this
@windchimebooks (314)
• United States
13 May 09
Hi, Thanks for your thoughts. Yes, I had not really thought of Sandra's points before but, once hearing her views, I also totally agree with her. See my reply to her above.
On another subject, you're smart to write for fun. For many years I was so determined to get published that at first writing was fun. But the more I just wrote to get published the less fun it became. Eventually I just got to where all I wanted was for the publisher in question to get my name right on the check, and boy that really started to show in my work then. My articles became stiff, and really kind of boring...mainly because I was bored writing them.
So after being burned out for a long while with writing, I started only doing writing I wanted to do. Now writing is fun again and I only do the writing now I enjoy. If it gets published and I get paid for it, great. If a piece never gets published, well so be it. Writing itself is its own reward and I think writing for fun is definitely the best way to go. Thanks for your reply.
1 person likes this
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
13 May 09
I find that a little strange.. why not write her own article?
Now there have been times I've wanted to edit someone's writing, but not a total workover! And it sounds like your piece was finished what with being published and all! I did edit a short story of a friend of mine, when she asked me to, who wrote 'her story' and it was a very good story and I was very careful to keep her style very intact, as that was the best thing about the story!
Now there have been times I've wanted to edit someone's writing, but not a total workover! And it sounds like your piece was finished what with being published and all! I did edit a short story of a friend of mine, when she asked me to, who wrote 'her story' and it was a very good story and I was very careful to keep her style very intact, as that was the best thing about the story!