h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If you have a question about writing, ask it here. I might be able to help you. At the very least, I can tell you where to go to find the answer!

Testing...

Hi Jimi - I'm not looking for help - I'm just wondering why no one has taken you up on your generous offer yet.......

Err, how about because most people think they can write? I know a lot of people get bent out of shape when somebody suggests a slightly different way of wording something. I've had reporters get seriously bent out of shape when I didn't like their lead paragraph and suggested a change. (Occaisionally, one will come back a few days later and say that they could see why the change had to be made. Those writers eventually leave small papers because they care about their craft and improving it.)

I find that I learn something new or exciting about writing every day or so....

An interesting turn of phrase, that Dumpster is a trademark and should be capitalized, that the word Cola is a deritive of Kola from the Kola bean, which give soda its caffeine.....



- X

I can relate - not because I'm a writer or editor (I'm an engineer) but because my SO is a copy editor/page designer at a medium-sized newspaper.

Which one?

I have a lot of respect for page designers. At the daily where I worked, we had two page designers and they were both great. Then when I moved to the editorship of a weekly, I became the page designers, copy editor, janitor, reporter, sports editor....

Made me appreciate what I had before!

Corpus Christi (TX) Caller-Times. Corpus has about 250,000 people, but I don't know the paper's circulation. She is worried that if (when) she moves on to a larger paper, she won't get to both design and edit, but only one or the other.

She's right. Actually I'm surprised she's doing it now. At most larger dailies, page design and copy editing are distinct jobs. It's at smaller papers where the copy editor wears multiple hats...
Is the Caller-Times a Scripps Howard paper? If it is, and it's the one I'm thinking of, that is one damn fine paper your SO works for!

If she hasn't already, tell her to check out some of the links on my writing help page. The Slot http://www.theslot.com would be right up her alley!

- X

Yes, the caller is a scripps paper. Whether or not she feels it is a good paper depends on the day and the mood of the editor

I try not to mention h2g2 to her too often - when I first started here, I tried too hard to get her here, until she was sick of hearing about it.........

I think that attitude is common in the industry, unless you've got a *great* bunch of people working together. As for h2g2, my wife had the same reaction. But since I've stopped mentioning it, she's become more interested in what we're attempting to do here!

- X

I've stopped mentioning h2g2, but the damage is done. I couldn't convince her we aren't a bunch of internet geeks.......come to think of it, I'm not sure we aren't.