Friday in anticipatory mode

[lagilman]

Closing out the year with a thanks-no-thanks from editor JS, wherein he got the name of the story wrong in the reject. Hrm.... Oh well. Mustn't mock the editor who may yet buy something from me, no. [edited to be more vague, since it was being taken a bit more seriously than I intended]

Also got some Quite Lovely feedback on a project that should allow me to stride through the weekend on a positive note, no matter what happens. Yay for useful and positive feedback!

Meanwhile we are awaiting the arrival of Winter Weather. What form this weather may take seems to be under negotiation -- maybe snow, maybe sleet, maybe rain, maybe all three. Here's hoping it's the pretty sort. I really should get out to the store before it starts -- I'm out of vanilla. Everyone else will be buying bread and milk, and I'll be buying vanilla extract and fennel....

and, for your daily dose of WTF:

"I need the services of a learned Chauffeur/Driver to take my Families around the town, and please, I need a fellow with a good communication skill. Do get back to me as soon as you can alright.
* Compensation: $520
* Telecommuting is ok."

Um. Yah.

The felines are restless. This may be a Play with Cats/Bake cookies sort of day. Oh, how I shall suffer...

Comments

[safewrite.livejournal.com]

As a fellow foodie (last night I made spinach pie AND sweet-and-sour pork) I applaud your use of time and your shopping list. Bread and milk are so boring and predictable.

[lensedqso.livejournal.com]

Well, you'd need at least one good communication skill to successfully understand the person who wrote the ad...

[lensedqso.livejournal.com]

Oh wait, I missed the "telecommuting is okay" bit. Heh.

[nycdeb.livejournal.com]

I think your plan for the day is an excellent one. if I had cats, I would follow suit. :-)

Possibly I shall spend some quality time mocking craigslist ads. Love the one above.

[lagilman]

final shopping list: vanilla extract, some rather sad-looking fennel, Dutch-process cocoa, and prosecco. I would have bought cheese, too, but nothing caught my eye...

[vincam.livejournal.com]

I want to know how Dale can get a driver's job that allows telecommuting. Of course, unless the $520 is a daily rate, he won't take it.

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

um. If you're going to not-mock, perhaps it should not be in a publicly accessible post where said editor could find it?

[lagilman]

oh, that's not Mocking, that's just Mentioning. Mocking would have been much more obvious. And involved the editor's name so when he ego-Googles he would find it *gives cheeky grin to not-named editor, who may indeed be reading this*

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

...I dunno. Not-Mocking is still pretty much a form of mocking, and I have to say that if that was about a market for which I edited I would really not appreciate it. When I found it with my Google Alerts which is set to my market's name.

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

I think it sets a bad example for the children.

[lagilman]

Okay, fair point. I shall e-mail the offending party directly and mock him friend-to-friend, which is how it was intended.

However, getting the name of a story wrong in a rejection is something an editor should apologize for, IMO, and speaking as a former editor....

[matt-betts.livejournal.com]

I did have a rejection where the editor got the name of the story wrong once. It was a very complimentary rejection and I felt pretty good about it until I got to that error.

What's funny is that it gave me an idea for a different story title. So there, careless editor!

[ex-fashioni.livejournal.com]

You know, this is one of the [many] things that tends to get my dander up. The idea that one mustn't publicly point out any errors that Publishing (or any involved therein) make.

If you get an ugly cover, you shut up and deal.

If your words get changed without your consent, you shut up and deal.

If your publisher jerks you and your release around, you shut up and deal.

At what point are authors allowed to actually speak up for themselves in any capacity?

This pervasive attitude right now that authors should just shut up and deal is far more damaging as far as I'm concerned than a mildly mocking mention. The editor got the name of the story wrong. Laura Anne didn't call him names. She didn't challenge him to a duel. She didn't send a return email smiting him with the +100 Red Pen of Editing. Now those are bad examples.

A mention-- Not So Bad in my book.

Just my mildly ranty .02