Recently, I was thinking about just how many ridiculous “national days” there are. From national pet hair day to national jaywalker day, it’s really getting out of hand. (I made those two up, I really hope they’re fake).
So I was extremely surprised there wasn’t a National Editors Day.
I’m not sure if it’s because their hard work is done mostly behind the scenes or maybe the editor just cut the letter because it missed deadline.
Jokes aside, I’d really like to take a second to thank every editor I’ve ever had.
From my infancy as a journalist a few years back at the Pan American, I’d like to thank Susan Gonzalez. She’s at The Denver Post now; she’s small but was always a huge motivation on me even after she left the Valley.
Then it was Andrew Vera and May Ortega. They’ll never leave my heart.
It’s hard to convey the face of terror I had when I saw that May had left criticism on one of my drafts. I knew it would take more time fixing my mistakes than it did to write the original mess. I had an idea it was for the better, but I didn’t know I was learning from one of the best, most dedicated writers I may ever meet.
If you’ve ever played sports, she was the coach that would get on you about your strikeout during a 3-for-4 day at the plate.
Andrew was no pushover, either. He wasn’t afraid to rip my words apart. It’s not because they had anything against me. In fact, it was because they saw potential in me way before I saw it in myself.
That year humbled me, it drove me to seek out feedback and ways to improve my style, structure and consistency as a reporter.
Speaking of consistency, I’d like to apologize to every copy editor who consistently had to deal with small mistakes that were probably the product of my keyboard not being able to keep up with my mind. Sorry, Andy De Llano, I didn’t mean to drive you to the magazine (JK)!
Recently, it’s been Bryan Ramos and Jesus Sanchez who have kept a close eye on my work as I inch toward what I hope will be a successful and everlasting career. I am thankful for them. Thankful for the laughs I’ve shared in the newsroom, on the sidelines and while burning the midnight oil working against a deadline. Even P.J. Hernandez, who has only been here for a few solid weeks, has been pretty awesome to work with and learn from.
The minds of writers are always great to be around.
A huge thank you goes to my advisers and mentors who have passed along wisdom that stretches far beyond classrooms. Gigantic credit is due to Greg Selber for believing in my writing, teaching me to tackle every story with an interesting angle and finding a new way to blow my mind with your RGV and general sports knowledge. I bet he knows Edcouch Elsa’s third string quarterback in 1997, seriously.
Greg Luca with The Monitor has been the best hands-on instructor I’ve had and he has nothing to do with the university (besides covering them, of course). His feedback and criticism has been golden in my dwindling time as a student. His high standards and direct communication have shown me how a professional looks and acts like.
What you see in print or online is only a portion of the process. Without editors guiding, directing, cutting and trimming, you’d see a lot less refined work.
Journalism is a field chock-full of unsung heroes and people doing important work, knowing there’s very little praise to go around. Even deeper than that is editors and copy editors who make sure every story is polished and that mistakes rarely leave the newsroom.
Thank you for everything–and print on!
