Notes Re: Past Column Re-Editing / Book Announcement
1) Recently a grammatically bothersome sentence in the column “For the Corporation” was pointed out to me, to which I responded (honestly) that since thirteen people read the column, I don’t much give a damn about those sorts of errors.
Moreover, given the way “In Dissent” columns take shape – over a period of eight to twelve (or more) hours sometimes covering a few days, being re-written, spot-edited, cut, pasted, changed, re-arranged, and finally edited one last time (often with tired eyes) before being posted – it’s a wonder every single paragraph of every single column isn’t absolutely riddled with grievous errors, grammatical and otherwise.
But the complainer was getting to a broader point, which she didn’t exactly voice: errors of that sort oughtn’t be allowed to stand, intellectually, as insults to a language she knows I love. So I have given the 2008 columns a decent going-over and have reposted them here, as well as Brian Wise dot com. (As for the few other places “In Dissent” is seen, I’m not sure about getting them changed; Newsvine may just be a matter of going in and changing them manually, cf. this blog, but as of this writing I haven’t checked.)
The best I can think to say is that my work hasn’t, for a long time, been important enough to justify a private editor, and that affiliate editors only seem to scan the pieces for something “offensive,” as opposed to actually editing them and keeping in touch with their content providers. Things slip through the cracks. But at the end of the day, I remain the Harry Truman of the opinionated Right: The buck stops here.
Piggybacking that, either this blog or the dot com will offer authoritative versions of every column or essay that leaves this desk, and if worse comes to worse, send email to brianwisedotcom@gmail.com and see if you can get my attention.
Moreover, given the way “In Dissent” columns take shape – over a period of eight to twelve (or more) hours sometimes covering a few days, being re-written, spot-edited, cut, pasted, changed, re-arranged, and finally edited one last time (often with tired eyes) before being posted – it’s a wonder every single paragraph of every single column isn’t absolutely riddled with grievous errors, grammatical and otherwise.
But the complainer was getting to a broader point, which she didn’t exactly voice: errors of that sort oughtn’t be allowed to stand, intellectually, as insults to a language she knows I love. So I have given the 2008 columns a decent going-over and have reposted them here, as well as Brian Wise dot com. (As for the few other places “In Dissent” is seen, I’m not sure about getting them changed; Newsvine may just be a matter of going in and changing them manually, cf. this blog, but as of this writing I haven’t checked.)
The best I can think to say is that my work hasn’t, for a long time, been important enough to justify a private editor, and that affiliate editors only seem to scan the pieces for something “offensive,” as opposed to actually editing them and keeping in touch with their content providers. Things slip through the cracks. But at the end of the day, I remain the Harry Truman of the opinionated Right: The buck stops here.
Piggybacking that, either this blog or the dot com will offer authoritative versions of every column or essay that leaves this desk, and if worse comes to worse, send email to brianwisedotcom@gmail.com and see if you can get my attention.
Addendum: Thursday, 10 April 2008 @ 4.11pm EST: Newsvine columns have been re-edited and re-posted, as of now.
2) If I am going to write another book, the announcement will be made here and on the dot com on Saturday, 26 April.
2) If I am going to write another book, the announcement will be made here and on the dot com on Saturday, 26 April.
posted by Brian S. Wise | 4:51 PM
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