Read Online In the Wake of Wanting by Lori L. Otto - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lori L. Otto
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collective “yes” is muttered around the room.
“Take them out and hold them up so I can see,” she says. Coley picks up her envelope and sticks it high into the air, holding it with the hand farthest away from me. It’s no use, Coley.
Professor Aslon walks to a few of the tables where the freshmen sit, cursorily glancing at some of the documents before giving them back to the students. She bypasses our table as she returns to the front of the classroom to deliver her next instruction.
“Now, hand your assignment to your editor."
The freshmen protest while the rest of the room laughs at their reactions. We’ve all been through this exercise before.
“You said you were the audience,” Coley speaks up with genuine fear.
“I am,” our professor says. “But I don’t read anything that hasn’t been edited. I think I mentioned that Monday. Or maybe that wasn’t clear. Regardless,” she says, her louder voice needed over the opposing arguments coming from all around the room, “this is an important lesson for all of you. Freshmen, this isn’t about you. Okay? Stop being self-absorbed. There are going to be times this year when you’re given a tough assignment… something you know your editor may not agree with you on, or may not be interested in reading. You may want to censor your own article, or withhold comments, opinions, or sentences. That’s not what this class is about. Your job is to write the story that your audience needs to read. Write it the way you see it.
"You were all selected for this course for a reason. We know you can write. We know you have opinions. You each have your own style. Give us your all, each and every time, with every story and article you write.
“This assignment should get it all out there. In every first impression piece, there’s at least one thing in there that the writer doesn’t want the editor to see. Most of the time there are at least five things. Yes, it’s a little uncomfortable. Journalism isn’t always comfortable. This is real life.
“But like I said, this isn’t just about you. This is about your editors, too. This is a lesson in objectivity for them, too. They get to edit a piece about themselves. They may want to argue with what you’ve written, but they can’t. This is about your first impression. Your opinion. They don’t have to like it. They may not agree with it. They may know with absolute certainty that you are one-hundred percent wrong about everything you think about them. But they have to take their emotions out of it and edit your piece."
Professor Aslon walks up to our table.
“Trey, I believe you’ve been through this before, haven’t you?”
“I have,” I answer.
“How was it?"
“Embarrassing,” I admit with a nod.
“Did you say something regrettable about your editor?” She knows I did.
“Yes. I said that Monica was a little bitchy.” My classmates laugh at me.
Professor Aslon walks over to Monica, who’s now been promoted to a senior copy editor position this year. “Monica, what did you do about that?"
She grins as she looks at me. “I asked him to explain why he felt that way, first of all… and once he gave me some examples, I suggested we change the word to ‘officious,' because we don’t like using the word ‘bitchy' in stories because it’s a little, um, nescient for Columbia University."
“That’s right. And how did the two of you fare the rest of the semester?”
“Well, together we had the most stories above the fold on the front page, and I invited him to my Christmas party at the end of the semester. We’re friends now."
“All right,” Professor Aslon announces. “You’ve got this class time to work and your own free time to do any suggested rewrites. Remember, you’re not changing content . We’re talking grammar, spelling, vocabulary, structure, refining style… you get the idea. I want to see final versions on Friday. You’re free to go.”
“Trey, I really don’t want
“Take them out and hold them up so I can see,” she says. Coley picks up her envelope and sticks it high into the air, holding it with the hand farthest away from me. It’s no use, Coley.
Professor Aslon walks to a few of the tables where the freshmen sit, cursorily glancing at some of the documents before giving them back to the students. She bypasses our table as she returns to the front of the classroom to deliver her next instruction.
“Now, hand your assignment to your editor."
The freshmen protest while the rest of the room laughs at their reactions. We’ve all been through this exercise before.
“You said you were the audience,” Coley speaks up with genuine fear.
“I am,” our professor says. “But I don’t read anything that hasn’t been edited. I think I mentioned that Monday. Or maybe that wasn’t clear. Regardless,” she says, her louder voice needed over the opposing arguments coming from all around the room, “this is an important lesson for all of you. Freshmen, this isn’t about you. Okay? Stop being self-absorbed. There are going to be times this year when you’re given a tough assignment… something you know your editor may not agree with you on, or may not be interested in reading. You may want to censor your own article, or withhold comments, opinions, or sentences. That’s not what this class is about. Your job is to write the story that your audience needs to read. Write it the way you see it.
"You were all selected for this course for a reason. We know you can write. We know you have opinions. You each have your own style. Give us your all, each and every time, with every story and article you write.
“This assignment should get it all out there. In every first impression piece, there’s at least one thing in there that the writer doesn’t want the editor to see. Most of the time there are at least five things. Yes, it’s a little uncomfortable. Journalism isn’t always comfortable. This is real life.
“But like I said, this isn’t just about you. This is about your editors, too. This is a lesson in objectivity for them, too. They get to edit a piece about themselves. They may want to argue with what you’ve written, but they can’t. This is about your first impression. Your opinion. They don’t have to like it. They may not agree with it. They may know with absolute certainty that you are one-hundred percent wrong about everything you think about them. But they have to take their emotions out of it and edit your piece."
Professor Aslon walks up to our table.
“Trey, I believe you’ve been through this before, haven’t you?”
“I have,” I answer.
“How was it?"
“Embarrassing,” I admit with a nod.
“Did you say something regrettable about your editor?” She knows I did.
“Yes. I said that Monica was a little bitchy.” My classmates laugh at me.
Professor Aslon walks over to Monica, who’s now been promoted to a senior copy editor position this year. “Monica, what did you do about that?"
She grins as she looks at me. “I asked him to explain why he felt that way, first of all… and once he gave me some examples, I suggested we change the word to ‘officious,' because we don’t like using the word ‘bitchy' in stories because it’s a little, um, nescient for Columbia University."
“That’s right. And how did the two of you fare the rest of the semester?”
“Well, together we had the most stories above the fold on the front page, and I invited him to my Christmas party at the end of the semester. We’re friends now."
“All right,” Professor Aslon announces. “You’ve got this class time to work and your own free time to do any suggested rewrites. Remember, you’re not changing content . We’re talking grammar, spelling, vocabulary, structure, refining style… you get the idea. I want to see final versions on Friday. You’re free to go.”
“Trey, I really don’t want
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