When the editor kills writer’s
story
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T
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here is great power in deciding on news values
and placing premiums on stories, lives and destinies.
BY MUSYOKA NGUI
Writing is an active undertaking. It consumes calories to
think about ideas before the writer pens them. It is even more tedious despite
advancement in technology. Writing manually with a ballpoint pen can be
stressful. The tip causes friction on the paper slowing down the writer. Then after toiling so much the gatekeeper
trashes the writer’s manuscript much less giving it a glance. Such situations place
writers at a critical juncture.
I have met budding writers
asking me how I broke into the world of letters. As a man of letters I have
been published by distinguished presses as well as rags. I handle diverse
topics for varied audiences. To me no topic is off limits under the sun.
And so you can imagine the
number of editors I have worked with. On the way I have been privileged to work
as an editor as well. A very high calling, that.
First, let me address those who
have been discouraged by editors. Your work is a masterpiece. Let no one tell you otherwise. Editors have a
habit of killing good stories which in turn spell doom on promising careers. I
equate killing a story with procuring an abortion when the latter is not
justified. An editor who declines to publish your story is obliged to explain
the reason why.
It is fine to give the reasons
why you did not publish a story. You owe it to your readers and the content
producers. You may not publish a story
due to lack of space in the edition you are packaging. You may also find the
article irrelevant. For example, if your newspaper deals with political beats
and you receive entertainment gossips you may decline to publish the said
article on the grounds that it will be misplaced.
Another reason for not
publishing writer’s stories is legal ramifications. You may have a scoop that
will cut you a niche in the competition but you may shelve the story altogether
if it bears potentially damaging consequences. For instance, if a public
servant is accused of abuse of office and you obtain damning dossiers revealing
the inner corruption which stink to high heavens you may want to shelve the
story for a little while to verify. Once you are sure of the authenticity of
the stuff, hit the keyboard like the computer is the offending party.
News is highly perishable
commodity. What is trending now is history the next moment. If you submit stale
stories, be sure the editor cannot touch them even with a ten-foot pole. The
next stop will be the recycle bin and your story will be buried and
forgotten. You must script with speed.
Get the facts fast. That way you will carve out credibility for efficiency and
be the go –to- guy for breaking news.
Colleagues will always want to be in your team. Competitors will covet
you.
So what do you do when an
editor trashes your story? First, understand the reason why the editor declined
to publish you. You could be the problem. Editors detest stories which do not
flow. Grammatical errors are the last thing to expect from a seasoned writer
especially when the editor is working under tight deadlines and odd hours to
make ends meet. Please make the work easy for your boss.
Once the editor corrects your
errors make a conscious effort not to repeat those errors in future. Use those
unkind comments to build your career. Let pride not get into your mind. We all
get rejected in life. Things cannot always go as planned. Point is, take corrections positively and later
you will thank the editor for setting the standard for you. Strive to be excellent.
Mediocrity will not only degrade your professional profile but also may cost
you your career and injure the reputation of your company.
If you know your value and think
that the editor did you a disservice be unafraid to take your talent elsewhere.
Explore other options. You can self-publish. Today due to technological
advancement anything is possible. If an editor mutilates your story, paste the
full version on your blog for your followers to read, watch and listen.
Be consistent. Persist to send
stories to the editor who is hard to please. Bombard him or her with manuscripts
upon manuscripts. Hit their inbox with
worthwhile submissions that will eventually crack their tough skins. Again, if you freelance for a particular
paper and it declines to publish you, try your luck elsewhere. Who knows? It
could be a blessing in disguise.
Diversify your options to minimize disappointments.
Once you establish yourself they
will come looking for you. The game will be turned on its head. The hunter will
become the hunted.
As I indicated above, I have
served as both a writer and an editor. In fact, most of the times I do both. It
is much like holding up a mirror on my face. In my little world I am the judge
and the judged. There is great power in deciding on news values and placing
premiums on stories, lives and destinies.
I am humbled to be trusted by my audience to tell their stories. I will
try to be faithful. Don’t spare the criticism. It is essential for constructive
development of this revered career.
The writer is a blogger at musyokangui.blogspot.com and a Fourth
Year Communication and Media student at Chuka University.
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