Not Willing to Type



  • I work for a company which, among other things, publishes an online daily newsletter. They hired an 'editor' who doesn't know wtf he's doing, and he hired a bunch of other writers.

    Again, this is an ONLINE publication.

     

    Most of these writers handwrite their articles and mail them to the editor, who then types them and posts them on the site under their accounts, because these individuals are "not willing to post online, or type".

     

    *headdesk*
     



  • Online magazines are always run by idiots. I once submitted poetry to an online magazine, which was complaining that it only ever got story submissions and there wasn't enough poetry being submitted. So before I submitted anything, I contacted the editor.

    "I write sonnets," I said, "so I'd be happy to submit some - but some people feel the sonnet isn't accessible to the modern reader."

    "Send them in," said the editor. "We need all the poetry we can get!"

    I sent three sonnets. Shortly thereafter, I received some criticism and a request for rewrite. The specific criticism I received was:

    1. The poems are too short. Make them longer.
    2. The rhythm seems strange. Try something more mainstream.
    3. The rhyme scheme is unusual. Try alternating rhyming lines.

    A sonnet is defined as:

    1. Fourteen lines
    2. Of iambic pentameter
    3. In a prescribed rhyme scheme.

    When I pointed this out, the editor responded he would prefer to see some blank verse. So I went and logged onto a MUSH. There, I signed up for an account, and wrote a hasty Dissociated Press implementation. Running this across people's character descriptions gave me an effectively endless supply of nihilistic-sounding crap. The editor was ecstatic, and accepted about a dozen of them for publication, but then discovered a post on some forum where I had explained the situation and what I did and that he was a complete 'tard. So he sent me nasty email and refused to publish anything.



  • If you sent him a haiku, he'd probably say to make it five lines so it's more like those "There once was a woman from Venus" limericks.

    To the OP - you know these computey thingees are never going to stand the test of time. Paper and pencil will someday reign supreme again!



  • [quote user="jesirose"]

    Most of these writers handwrite their articles and mail them to the editor, who then types them

    [/quote]

    In this day in age, that, in and of itself, is a WTF in any publication.  Hell; any circumstance.  I've not met a college professor, much less a highschool teacher that will accept handwritten work anymore.
     



  • This isn't necessarily uncommon.  A writers job is to create content, the editors job is to make sure it is suitable for the ending medium.



  • In this day in age, that, in and of itself, is a WTF in *any* publication.  Hell; any circumstance.  I've not met a college professor, much less a *highschool teacher* that will accept handwritten work anymore.
     

     

    High School, for medium short stuff sometimes. Anything above a page or so (or the rare writing assignment done in class) and non-typed = non-graded.



  • [quote user="CDarklock"]

    When I pointed this out, the editor responded he would prefer to see some blank verse. So I went and logged onto a MUSH. There, I signed up for an account, and wrote a hasty Dissociated Press implementation. Running this across people's character descriptions gave me an effectively endless supply of nihilistic-sounding crap. The editor was ecstatic, and accepted about a dozen of them for publication, but then discovered a post on some forum where I had explained the situation and what I did and that he was a complete 'tard. So he sent me nasty email and refused to publish anything.

    [/quote]

    That's some of the best stuff i've read on tdwtf in a long time!



  • Priceless Darklock.  Just goes to show what modern artsies consider to be 'poetry'.



  • [quote user="merreborn"]

    In this day in age, that, in and of itself, is a WTF in any publication. 

    [/quote] 

    Clearly you don't work in publishing.

    [quote user="merreborn"]

    I've not met a college professor, much less a highschool teacher that will accept handwritten work anymore.

    [/quote]

    Do schools and colleges in your country not have examinations any more?  How strange. 



  • [quote user="CDarklock"]

    When I pointed this out, the editor responded he would prefer to see some blank verse. So I went and logged onto a MUSH. There, I signed up for an account, and wrote a hasty Dissociated Press implementation. Running this across people's character descriptions gave me an effectively endless supply of nihilistic-sounding crap. The editor was ecstatic, and accepted about a dozen of them for publication, but then discovered a post on some forum where I had explained the situation and what I did and that he was a complete 'tard. So he sent me nasty email and refused to publish anything.

    [/quote]

    Nice!  For your next submission, I suggest a screenplay with dialogue generated by psychoanalyze-pinhead

     



  • [quote user="Iago"]

    [quote user="merreborn"]

    I've not met a college professor, much less a highschool teacher that will accept handwritten work anymore.

    [/quote]

    Do schools and colleges in your country not have examinations any more?  How strange. 

    [/quote]

    I was thinking that.

    Nearly all the essays I write are handwritten. OK so they're short, 3 sides tops, and non-assessed. (They're past paper questions). Ditto question sheets, especially since as soon as any algebra is involved it becomes stupid to try and use a computer for working out, and silly to have to type up what's been done by hand. And assessed practicals, since the write-up's during the practical.

    Longer projects, however, are usually expected to be typed. Perhaps where merreborn comes from there's never anything marked that's just for tutorials, not assessed.

    However, when it comes to the geological mapping project I'll be doing next summer, although the main writeup is expected to be typed, I believe they also want original field notes and slips.



  • @m0ffx said:

    However, when it comes to the geological mapping project I'll be doing next summer, although the main writeup is expected to be typed, I believe they also want original field notes and slips.

    Aye, that they do, and probably neater ones than mine :P.

    But yeah, the idea that work would be rejected because it wasn't typed seems pretty crazy to me. It makes sense to reject illegible work, but that's not the same thing at all.


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