I’m interning at a small regional pub right now, and everything I get back from my editors makes me a little nauseated. The edited text is flowery and impossible to read, full of absurd cliches, awkward turns of phrase and words like “lissome.” Not to say I’m the best writer in the world, but I’m horrified at the prospect of showing these clips to future employers and having them think it’s my work. How do I present these clips in a way that says “These were heavily edited against my will” without looking like a total jerk?
Ed2010™
Hate to say it, but you’re
Hate to say it, but you’re an intern. While you may not think the edits are great, they are the tone of your magazine, and if you keep turning in copy that has to be edited so heavily, you’re not doing yourself any favors. Also, when potential employers see your clips, they’re looking at length, subject matter, and the title where the story was from. I guarantee they’re not reading over them with a fine tooth comb. Yeah, its annoying, but get used to it, and I’m sure you aren’t doing this but make sure your top eds don’t get the sense that you’re annoyed, since, playing devil’s advocate, they’re giving you a lot of responsibility by even letting you write anything.
I know the board is about tough love
And I appreciate your response, but the edits are objectively bad. It’s not just me going “My untouchable prose!!!” - this publication is sort of notorious in my area for its general hack-iness. Of course I’m the intern, and they’re great to have me on and give me responsibility (and I tell them that. They’re very nice so I promise I don’t have a bad attitude with them). The worst part is the edits are all taking place in the lede - probably the only part an employer would read if he read the clip at all. I’m imagining someone at EW going “vast magical expanse of sky blue? Ugh!” and tossing my resume in the reject pile.
You could change them
If youre going for a magazine that is similar to the one you’re at now, leave the clips as is. But if you’re going for a less “flowery” place I would change the clips back and edit out any fluffy jargon. If your articles still have good content, I would just take out all the flowery stuff and submit those as your clips.
But those aren’t your
But those aren’t your published clips. That’s very deceiving.
Or just write “unpublished
Or just write “unpublished version” or something like that. Or freelance some stuff that you like better and use those clips.
i think i worked at that
i think i worked at that magazine too. eek!
unfortunately it’s pretty common for text to be edited and then top edited, but it’s usually not this horrible. if you are talking about the certain editor that many people have complained about on this board alone, she is particularly difficult and out of touch. at least you’re just interning… it’s not like this at other national mags that are edited by a staff of competent editors.