Comments on: So Much in Common: The Truth about Editing and Bull Riding

By: J.C. Hewitt

J.C. Hewitt — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:33:24 +0000

You are welcome bveeresh1

By: bveeresh1

bveeresh1 — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:53:32 +0000

Thanks for this entertaining and informative post that resonated with me as an editor. I Agree With This..thank you……….

By: John Hewitt

John Hewitt — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:57:16 +0000

Suzanne,

Thank you for contributing to my guest blogger month. It’s amazing how much bull snot you have to put up with in any job, freelancing or othewse.

By: Jeanne Dininni

Jeanne Dininni — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:43:33 +0000

Suzanne,

As a writer/editor, I can definitely identify with Point 4. Talent and training (or lack thereof) undoubtedly reflect on the editor’s — and even the edited writer’s — credibility. They can even make or break an editorial or writing career. As a writer, I’ve at times been compelled to submit to the “red pencil” of a few members of the editing profession who were less talented — or perhaps more busy — than they should have been for the trust they had undertaken. Unfortunately, this has generally led to a decrease in the quality of the piece.

Technology can only take an editor so far. After that, good judgment and real facility with the English language are absolute requirements.

Thanks for sharing your experience — and making some excellent points!

Jeanne

By: » 51 Cowboy Facts; or, the Mythic Metaphor CowboyLands: From the Land of Cowboys to You; or, The Modern Buckaroo’s Guide to the World

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:04:21 +0000

[...] This post by Suzanne Fox, called “So Much in Common: The Truth About Editing and Bull Riding&#… galloped through my handy RSS feed tuned to all things cowboy, and as it is about Cowboy–or Bull Riders–that means I can add another fact to my 51 Cowboy facts list: [...]

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:01:08 +0000

Lillian, I often work for the same clients from book to book as well, but the authors tend to change and often I lose track of them entirely once the job is done.

JoniB, I appreciate your comment. I think a lot of writers fear editors unnecessarily, but most of us really just here to help.

And Bucko! I was stunned when I started watching bull riding for several reasons, not the least of which was–I could not believe the amount of bull snot that got slung around! You’d expect bullshit, right? But bull snot?

I finally got to the point where I keep the proofs for a year after the project is done and then I shred them. Who needs all that paper around? What on earth did I think I needed to keep them for?

Fortunately for them, a lot of bull riders have sponsors who provide them with clothes, which is a good thing because 1) most of them dress like a eye test for color blindness, 2) a lot of them don’t make enough money to dress at all, and 3) it’s not uncommon for their clothes to get ripped up during competition. Just two weeks ago, one of the riders hit the dirt with a major wardrobe malfunction. He had to pull his shirt tail out of his jeans just so he could get up and leave the arena without us all knowing a whole lot more about him than we wanted to. To his credit, he thought it was funny.

By: Bucko

Bucko — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:27:02 +0000

it’s the bull snot that gets me–that and the mass of foul matter or dead matter or those big stacks of huge floppy layouts that stick to your office shelves long after the project is over. I mean “over” of course. There’s a similarity. How do those bull riders clean their clothes? Thanks for the post! Hilarious and apt.

Buckos last blog post..51 Cowboy Facts; or, Continuing the Countdown

By: JoniB

JoniB — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:15:46 +0000

Thank you for that insight! I’ve never tried to publish but if I was able to secure your services as an editor, I think we’d get along great.

By: Lillie Ammann

Lillie Ammann — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:07:59 +0000

Suzanne,
Thanks for this entertaining and informative post that resonated with me as an editor. I am a freelancer and usually work with the same clients from book to book so the only one that I didn’t identify with was going separate ways at the end of the project.

By: Leigh

Leigh — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:06:25 +0000

Excellent metaphor, Suzanne! I now know more about bull riding than ever before, and I certainly had never thought of editing as akin to this sport. Now that I think about it, I could compare my editing/writing situation with football (in America, it's called soccer). This is a fascinating diversion. "What is editing like?" Tooth-pulling, diplomacy (or not), coddling (or not), and the list goes on. But, as you say, the cream rises to the top. Best wishes and thanks for the fun post! Leighs last blog post..The Music of Words and Other Matters