Why being an editor is not an easy job!

I am the newsletter editor of a leading adventure club in hyderabad. the job of an editor is not really an easy one. Why? simply because of the sheer amount of editing to do. Wow shishir, i couldn't have expected a better answer!

Alright, hear the best one. My experience and understanding ever since i suggested the idea and took the responsibility of implementing it.

The first newsletter i designed was so so. It was so, so so, that the response i expected during the release of the newsletter, in a local pub, was nothing more than a dud. This was my entry in to the 'making' of the newsletter for the club. The first newsletter that i designed was on microsoft document and used an online tool to convert it into a PDF.

For the second newsletter, the organizer suggested me to use Publisher 2007. I did not know how to use it and i wasn't very keen on using it, having acquainted myself with the tedious work on document. Fine, shun the tediousness and try using a sample and modify it to suit to your needs.

The basic idea of a newsletter for me is this -
1. Keep the number of pages as less as possible. Unless you have too many stories to cover. This too is bad as too many stories ruin the movie.

2. Give a great deal of attention to the way the content is to be placed. This includes images, story, any gyaan that needs to be given, reminders, sectional division in pages.

3. Give credits to people who have contributed in writing. After all, it's their writing why not appreciate them for the effort. What's your problem? There might be lot of sentences cut out during the process of editing but make sure the contributor's name is shown and the link to the original post is given at the end.

4. Make it readable. your writing should reflect the fun quotient that people always expect from you.

5. Uniformity through out the newsletter - give a page to every article. The design of second article layout should be similar to first article layout. The synchronousness should reflect.


With these thoughts, i picked up a template, modified it to suit the need. Since i was new to publisher, i took a lot of time arranging - rearranging the layouts. It happened N number of times. I was glued to it. i would start with first page, make sure the boxes, story, images are in place and onyl then move onto next page and continue doing the same. I never realized the amount of time i'm killing! That's precisely the reason why it took me so long to prepare the second issue. When the work was completed and released boy oh boy wasn't it a hit. The second one was very much appreciated and that helped me move onto the next step of introducing small features like hyperlinks. Ever since, the second addition, the appreciation have been pouring in.


Wait i haven't told you the worst part. After this painful work, the pricking work is 'editing' the material people have submitted. I understand usage of few ellipses but using it after every sentence makes you delete the file. The exaggerated, exuberant and glamorous sentences that people prefer to use makes me sleep! Keep it simple yaar. I understand few are excited with their first writing. It's good. Nothing against it. The only reason why it annoys me is that I HAVE TO FIT IT WITHIN A PAGE AND I HAVE TO READ ALL THAT AGAIN AND AGAIN, DELETING THE LINES WITHOUT REMOVING THE ESSENCE OF THE MESSAGE. See, how angry i get?


Nonetheless, for all the moments of anger and frustration in it, it still appears to me to be a wonderful job with lots of creative ideas to build in. Since, i am in-charge i have the freedom to make the way i want it but with a responsibility - the newsletter should serve a purpose, which is, Summarizing the activities in the most comprehensive way that makes the reader go till the very end of the newsletter!