R is for Rant

The copy editors who work for my school paper are offering me some real-life writing experience I didn’t particularly want. Because they are editors, they insist on editing pieces even when there is no need. If they were working to make an article better, I wouldn’t say a word outside of, “Thanks.”

These copy editors, however, insist on inserting bad grammar where there was none, deleting essential words or, in some cases, entire paragraphs. I doubt they re-read after all of their snipping. I wonder if they read with any level of comprehension at all.

In the end, it’s my name on the article. I’m the one who looks like a grammar-idiot who skipped too many intro-level journalism classes. In the end, there’s nothing I can do but rant here.

The real frustration is that instead of having a usable clip after all of my hard work, I have nothing. The real deal is that everyone on the paper suffers when editors don’t do their job; the entire publication could be discounted because of one of their snafus.

I’m sure my run-ins on the school paper aren’t going to be the only times when I’d rather scream at an editor than send them one more word. I just hate that we have to go through this twice a week. This is exactly why our rag can’t keep good writers on staff…

And so, because I’m a sucker, I’ll keep trying. I’ll keep reminding myself that we’re all students, learning our craft. I’ll keep sending in words and calling the editor-in-chief (who is great, by the way and who keeps his hands off of our work) on publication day asking, “Who edited my piece?” (He never says.) I’ll keep hoping to graduate with a few clips that will do something more than line trash cans.