Work Advice: Dealing with a bad editor and someone who calls you a bad writer
Q: I'm a freelance writer. The solo editor of one publication I write for is prone to introducing mistakes, such as changing my meaning to the opposite of what I intended. Once, he misspelled my byline; another time, he left it out altogether. In a third instance, he blamed spell check for a word replacement that made me look like an idiot.
He acknowledged that his byline errors were "unforgivable." But he won't run corrections; once an error is in print, he thinks there's nothing he can do. He also hasn't paid me any additional money after fouling up my articles. He's not unreasonable, but inexperienced and overworked. This publication is a prominent one that requires specialized knowledge, and there aren't any comparable publications I can write for.
If I call him out too harshly, my opportunities may dry up. But if I look like a moron in print, it won't help future opportunities. I've spoken with him about it multiple times, but the mistakes keep happening.
Any advice for how to handle a bad editor?
A: Making an author look bad is the cardinal sin of editing. Your editor should run corrections when information is wrong or missing. Paying you a boo-boo bonus, however, is not standard practice, in my experience.
Many publications let authors review edits, if deadlines allow. Ask your editor if he will do so, and promise to limit your quibbles to actual errors. In the meantime, keep cleaned-up samples in your portfolio, and keep looking for publications with editors you can trust.
Q: My boss essentially told me "You're not a good writer" during a group meeting. Friends and former colleagues say I'm an average writer -- "lackluster fine." How do I improve? HR is pretty bad at training. I can't afford a writing coach. People say "read books," but I already read a lot. Is it a matter of writing random stuff over and over again?
A: Writing itself takes you only so far. To improve, you need specific, constructive feedback from a careful reader who has your back. If your boss can't fill that role, here are a few ideas:
Budget time for planning and revising. Set your first draft aside for hours or days. Read it aloud. Try to reverse-engineer a logical outline from your draft; if you can't, reorganize. Trim word count by a third. Make a pact with a peer to proof each other's work.
Reading is important, but a "good" mystery novel has different criteria from a "good" business memo. Look for material -- news writing, essays -- that showcases verbal economy and tight structure. Browse user-friendly style and usage guides, such as Strunk and White, Bryan Garner and Grammar Girl.
And writing, like any form of exercise, isn't a one-and-done deal. You'll never be perfect, but you'll always be better.
• Karla L. Miller has written for and edited tax publications for 16 years, most recently for the accounting firm KPMG's Washington National Tax office. You can find her on Twitter, @KarlaAtWork.