I’m not so caught up in my own talents that I don’t realize there are times when changes need to be made to my prose. I know how the world of writing works – most employers and editors get the final say in what is printed or published, no matter how enamored of my words I may be.
The type of writing I do rarely comes with a byline. I am mostly a writer for hire. The client gives me a subject and some parameters, I do the work, I get paid, and that is that. I see other names attached to my writing all the time, and it doesn’t get me down.
Most of the time, employers leave my writing as it is. I feel pretty confident in sending off a completed, polished product, especially since I always follow my work up with assurances that I will do any requested revisions (up to a point, of course). So when I recently came across an article of mine in all its Internet glory, I was shocked to see that it wasn’t really what I had written at all.
It’s been a few weeks since I wrote it, so at first, I simply thought I hadn’t remembered it very well. But as I read, the furrows in my brow deepened, and I thought, “I wrote this? This isn’t very good. I’m usually better than this.” So I immediately pulled up my original and compared. Large portions had been cut out, sentences were rewritten and moved, and punctuation had been changed. Of course, I could see my words hidden deep within the article. A few sentences here and there smacked of Tamara, but overall, it wasn’t what I had turned in.
Now, I know it’s the editor’s prerogative to do whatever she wants. Maybe she needed to make the work compatible with the company’s style. Maybe she didn’t like it but didn’t want to mention it to me. Maybe she was simply having a bad day and my article hit her the wrong way. There are plenty of valid reasons, and I know that. But it still unsettles me.
My name isn’t attached to the article, I got paid, and the client seemed happy (and even indicated the possibility of future work). For all accounts and purposes, it was a good outcome. Still, though, I feel let down. I can’t really put the published article in my portfolio, because I don’t think it’s very good. If this client does hire me again, I’m pretty sure I’ll be wracked with self-doubt the whole time. And overall, I feel a bit affronted.
I’d like to think that I’m a reasonable professional. I’m open to criticism and know that there is always room for growth. Half the time, I’m actually in the editor’s seat, so I know what it means to adapt someone else’s work for compatibility and readability. But that leads me to the following questions:
Is it wrong to think that massive editing should be communicated to the writer, even when there is no byline? To what extent (if at all) are clients beholden to their writers?
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Hi Tamara
Have you asked them why they edited your piece? It’s probably better to find out now, then you will be prepared for next time you work for them.
As a client, I’m not sure that I would feel beholden to keep the article as provided, nor to tell you I had changed it. However, if you asked, I’d tell you why.
I completely understand why you would be surprised at wholesale changes without being asked to re-write it as part of the editing process. Hence again, I would ask them why if I were you?
Still, you can add the original document as you have written it to your portfolio.
Kind regards
Jill
My very first two clients did the exact same thing. Actually, I’d say they completely butchered the copy that I sent them. I sent clean, crisp writing and they infused it with grammatical errors and bad words (like nice and very). I ran it by a few writing friends to see if I was off the mark and they assured me I wasn’t.
I think it has to do with the clients trying to put their own voice into the writing. Sometimes that’s okay, other times, it damages the integrity of the work, and ultimately, their business.
Melissa Donovan’s last blog post..When Freedom Rang - A Story of Startup Failure
I have been thinking about this since i first read it yesterday and I keep wondering why would somebody pay to have something written and go through the work of redoing it. I could understand shortening or style compliance but I really do get what happened here.
I agree that getting feedback from the editor before another article offer comes up would be good to help you decide if you can live with his or her methods of using your copy even if your name isn’t attached.
Tamara:
I’ve had the same thing happen to me. I had a client who praised my work and seemed to like it, but every time I turned something in, they would alter it (adding grammatical errors and such).
It was very confusing. I was always second-guessing what the client REALLY wanted. It was frustrating.
I don’t know if clients have any obligation to notify us when making massive changes to our work, but it sure would be nice.
holli jo’s last blog post..Upgrading my writing business