Re: Student Tech Writer being edited to death...Fact of life?

[Shakespeare's Monkey <CARL_M1 -at- VERIFONE -dot- COM>]

From:   IN%"rchenier -at- WRITER -dot- SYNAPSE -dot- NET"  "Raymond Chenier" 29-JUL-1995
 14:19:39.43
To:     IN%"TECHWR-L -at- VM1 -dot- ucc -dot- okstate -dot- edu"  "Multiple recipients of list TECHWR-L"
CC:
Subj:   Student Tech Writer being edited to death...Fact of life?

<snip>
Here is where the fun starts, and I guess if this is common
practice, then I accept to look at the whole thing as a
learning experience. The originator of this [document] has very
little command of the english language. I am lucky to have as
an editor a University professor with past editing
experience. This originator person does not really recognize
some of his material after it has been written in semi-proper
form and he is constantly second guessing and editing things
that ultimately get changed to my editor's tastes.

I can feel a frustration building whereby I guess I would
like my editor to say: "Well let's just tell the originator
to butt out." But this originator IS the one who understands
the material better than anyone - he just can't express it in
words.
----------------------------------------------------------------

It seems to me that if the originator does not recognize his
own ideas in the revision, the revision is probably not
communicating what he is trying to say, rather than he his
unable to read the revision.

I would ask him to restate what is wants to say until you can
communicate it back to him to his satisfaction.

Carl Millholland