COMM 291: Clearing the decks for action

Copied from an email sent to students in COMM 291 Friday, February 26, 2010 3:28 PM (CST)

Pete, Amy and Mike --

March is going to be our busy month, and we're going to start editing next week. I want to make a big push before spring break to get the mass comm students contributing stories, and I'll try to get the first batches of stories out to you Sunday or Monday ... have to have your edits back by the end of the week (which is also the first day of spring break). I'll talk with Scott, too, next week and get a sense from him of where the Sleepy Weasel will fit into his production schedule. That, in turn, will drive our deadlines. Broadly speaking, I want to have all copy edited and ready for the next stage of production by the end of the month.

A word of warning. The deadlines I'll be giving you after I talk with Scott are REAL-WORLD DEADLINES and not the LITTLE PLAY DEADLINES you've heard me give you in class (forgive me for shouting, but I want to be utterly unambiguous here, especially since I'm STILL NOT GETTING your "Years With Ross" papers). If we blow these deadlines, we won't have product on the street in time.

So, please try to wrap up the Ross papers and get them to me. If you can't, put them aside till after we get the magazine out.

Please also read pages 3-30 in "The Subversive Copy Editor" ASAPest because I think it'll help you get the right attitude toward the copy when you starting editing. You won't be dealing directly with the writers like the book editors Carol Saller talks about, but I want you to take the same attitude she recommends. You're there to fix grammar, sure, and there'll be plenty of that, but you're also helping to bring out the writer's intent ... use a light touch.

I'm going to post this message to the Mackerelwrapper, too, so it doesn't disappear out of your inbox.

And be watching for more email.

We're about to shift gears in a big way now.

-- Doc