It got to the point where he'd say something, I'd reply and we'd both stop and laugh since we knew the next step would be the B-word. However, all of this stemmed from the fact that I'm currently his editor for a 20 page paper he's writing on Paul Tillich (still, who?) I'd like to think that by page five of editing (and four hours of rewrites) I'd have some semblance of a clue who he was. Nope.
I come from a family of writers and literary nuts. My dad, aunt and even my mom and brother are all writers in one way or another whether it be technical or creative. I suppose we could have figured out that I was born to write when in 9th grade I did a 10 page paper on the breakdown of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and the teacher only required three to four.
I wonder what makes me want to write. My mom says, "You write like you talk." But I can barely put a sentence together when I talk without stumbling over words. Maybe it's because I speak before I think and think before I write. That must be it. Anyway, I stray....
Editing a paper for Chip is no easy task. Talk about daunting. Talk about a lot of words that when separate make sense, but when strung together are cause for headache. Chip is an amazing mind, he knows how to verbally state any idea and convey that idea perfectly. However, this is our yin/yang. Just like I mentioned in an earlier post, this is what makes us different, but work. Where I can't talk, he can. Where he can't write, I can. Get the idea? So, here we are.
The problem with Chip is he tends to overthink things. Big surprise, he's a philosophy student. But when he writes, he over writes, because he over thinks. So when he wants to say something simple, like, "I had a cheeseburger for lunch" he would write:
"There was a place that served up cheeseburgers with meat and bread, as to which I ate for lunch. "
This is why I edit. He overstates, over-explains, and repeats. Sometimes the beginning of the sentence is at the end, and sometimes he ends in a preposition. This isn't a big deal. Overall he's a great writer. He just needs an editor, just like anyone else writing several pages of material. He's trying to put a concept into execution, just like I do as an Art Director. I have production artists on hand because my concepts are not executed the way my brain wants them to be, since I don't have the skills to do so.
Parts of last night were so hilarious in our dynamic that I should have just hit the "record" button on our video camera for posterity sake. Scenario: I sit on the broken couch (oh is that why my back feels like that today?). I have a thesaurus and dictionary on-hand, a bottle of wine (which I'll need to get through this) open and Chip's paper and a blue pen ready to bleed on paper.
Some of the better quotes I had while dissecting his paper included:
"Did you read any of this before giving it to me?"
"Did you read any of this again after you wrote it?"
"What are you trying to say here?"
"This sentence makes me feel like I got roofied, because nothing makes sense."
"Can you run to the kitchen and grab a knife? I promise I won't use it on my wrists."
Okay, the last one was a joke. But by page five my hand had cramped and I couldn't do anymore. Maybe I over edited. He is actually a great writer. Really. But I'm editing for technical things, not content. I'm not changing a single thought, I just work on flow and Chicago style citation. Which is a whole new pain in the ass since my background is MLA and APA.
So, once again, we've taught each other something again. I've taught Chip how to better his writing and he's taught me a lot more patience. The world makes sense, yet again.
(PS: For anyone that wants to see my bloody rendering of his opening paragraph, I've posted the picture below. This is why I always kindly remind him, "Write your introduction after the rest of your paper is done. It also helps to have an outline, but if I know you, you probably just started writing. Next lesson will be outlining for PhD students."
Enjoy.
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