i've been writing long enough to form the discipline of editing myself scrupulously. and this because i believe in the masters when they say that revision is a sign of maturity, of finally grasping and realizing the true worth of one's creation.
was it mark twain who said that everybody can write, but not everybody can rewrite?
as a published writer, i respect editorial license. but there were rare times that i wondered what went on in the editor's mind. my article in the March 2010 issue of PAL's Mabuhay is a case in point.
I wrote: Bislig City's Tinuy-an Falls has such stunning visual appeal that the Department of Tourism tags it as the the country's widest and most amazing waterfalls. Its water is a canvas that captures cerulean skies, lush greens, and exotic blooms. Its flat rock formations are so well-stacked they might as well be the concert stage of nymphs and fairies.
The editor revised it this way: Bislig City's Tinuy-an Falls have such stunning visual appeal that the Department of Tourism tags them as the the country's widest and most amazing waterfalls. Its water is a canvas that captures cerulean skies, lush greens, and exotic blooms. Its flat rock formations are so well-stacked they might as well be the concert stage of nymphs and fairies.
the editor must've so much to edit that day he missed the inconsistencies in pronoun use.
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