{"id":5412,"date":"2016-01-18T04:00:26","date_gmt":"2016-01-18T09:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americaneditor.wordpress.com\/?p=5412"},"modified":"2016-09-16T11:48:01","modified_gmt":"2016-09-16T17:48:01","slug":"the-zen-of-editing-tales-of-the-pen-master","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/the-zen-of-editing-tales-of-the-pen-master\/","title":{"rendered":"The Zen of Editing: Tales of the Pen Master"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Jack Lyon<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever read much about Zen Buddhism, you\u2019re probably aware of its strange but wonderful stories of masters, monks, and enlightenment. Here is an example:<\/p>\n

The Emperor asked Zen Master Gudo, \u201cWhat happens to a man of enlightenment after death?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow should I know?\u201d replied Gudo.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you are a master,\u201d answered the Emperor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Gudo said, \u201cbut not a dead one.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In that spirit, here are some tales not of the Zen master but rather of the Pen master, whose job is to open the minds of editors everywhere. As is usual in Zen tradition, each story is followed by enlightened commentary.<\/p>\n

Following the Precepts<\/h3>\n

An assistant editor went before the Pen master, saying, \u201cLo, these many years I have faithfully followed the precepts in Garner's Modern American Usage<\/em> and The<\/em> Chicago Manual of Style.<\/em> Why am I not yet enlightened?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause,\u201d said the master, \u201cyou have faithfully followed the precepts in Garner's<\/em> Modern<\/em> American<\/em> Usage<\/em> and The<\/em> Chicago<\/em> Manual<\/em> of<\/em> Style<\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In true Zen spirit, this story illustrates the importance of following the rules and not <\/em>following the rules. Editors have \u201crules\u201d for an important reason \u2014 to make sure that the author\u2019s intended meaning is clearly communicated to readers in a consistent, coherent way. But blindly following the \u201crules\u201d can also result in miscommunication. That is why, since its initial publication in 1906, The<\/em> Chicago Manual of Style <\/em>has included the following disclaimer: \u201cRules and regulations such as these, in the nature of the case, cannot be endowed with the fixity of rock-ribbed law. They are meant for the average case, and must be applied with a certain degree of elasticity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Editing Is More Than Mechanics<\/h3>\n

One day the Pen master was passing an assistant's cubicle.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, master,\u201d said the assistant, \u201cI'm so glad you came by. Look at this wonderful new editing software. It flags incomplete sentences, finds dangling modifiers, and much more. With this software, the manuscript practically edits itself!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cInteresting,\u201d said the master. \u201cHow does it know when a paragraph should be deleted?\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Editing is not simply a matter of mechanics; if it were, a computer could do it. Fortunately for editors, a human mind is required. At the Editorium, I create and sell Microsoft Word add-ins to help editors do their work. These add-ins, to some degree, automate parts of the editing process. But in the end, cognitive judgment is needed to decide which parts should be automated and which should not, and if any of the automated parts should in some cases be overridden. In addition, there are many parts of the process that simply cannot be automated. Language is complex and subtle, and something as small as a misplaced comma can literally make the difference between life and death (as in a medical journal).<\/p>\n

If It Ain\u2019t Broke, Don\u2019t Fix It<\/h3>\n

An assistant editor was reading a manuscript that had already been gone over by the Pen master. To her surprise, the manuscript contained not a single correction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Questioning the master about this, the assistant remarked, \u201cYou said you had edited this manuscript, but it contains no corrections at all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNevertheless,\u201d said the master, \u201cnow that I'm finished with it, the manuscript is perfect.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What if you went completely through a manuscript without making a single correction, because, as far as you could tell, no corrections were needed? Would you have done your job? I believe that you would have. An editor\u2019s job is not to make corrections; an editor\u2019s job is to make sure the writing is clear, and if it is, no corrections are needed. Of course, in real life, that is probably never the case. But it\u2019s an interesting thing to think about.<\/p>\n

Something Is Always Broke<\/h3>\n

An assistant brought a new book, hot off the press, to the Pen master. \u201cMaster, look!\u201d she said. \u201cThe book is beautiful! The cover is bright and attractive, the marketing copy is appealing, the typography is excellent. Surely this is the finest book we have ever published.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The master opened the book to a random page. \u201cRead the first line,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018When this matter came to the attention of the pubic \u2026\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These are the things that haunt our lives. I started my publishing career as a proofreader at a university press. On prominent display in our office was a book on whose cover the title had been misspelled \u2014 a reminder of the need for constant vigilance on every part<\/em> of the book during every part<\/em> of the publishing process. At a later job, thousands of copies of a publication ended up being shredded because of a photograph that should not have been included. So pay attention! As a famous Zen story (a real one) teaches:<\/p>\n

A student said to Master Ichu, \u201cPlease write for me something of great wisdom.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Master Ichu picked up his brush and wrote one word: \u201cAttention.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The student said, \u201cIs that all?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The master wrote, \u201cAttention. Attention.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The student became irritable. \u201cThat doesn't seem profound or subtle to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In response, Master Ichu wrote simply, \u201cAttention. Attention. Attention.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In frustration, the student demanded, \u201cWhat does this word attention <\/em>mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Master Ichu replied, \u201cAttention means attention.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

(Charlotte Joko Beck, Nothing Special: Living Zen. <\/em>[New York: HarperCollins, 1993], 168.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Editing Reveals Meaning<\/h3>\n

After receiving his edited manuscript for review, the author was furious. \u201cHow dare you!\u201d he said to the Pen master. \u201cThis manuscript is covered with corrections.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou must not look at the corrections,\u201d said the master. \u201cYou must look at the meaning behind the corrections.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here we have the opposite case from the one above, where nearly everything needs fixing. Again, however, the process is not about correcting \u201cerrors\u201d; the process is about making sure that the author is clear \u2014 and not just to the reader. An editor is not out of place to say to an author, \u201cYou seem to be saying this,<\/em> but what I think you really mean is this.<\/em> Is that right?\u201d It\u2019s all about meaning.<\/em><\/p>\n

It is not<\/em> the editor\u2019s place, however, to add <\/em>meaning, to \u201cimprove\u201d the author\u2019s ideas. Editors who feel the need to do so should write their own books.<\/p>\n

Context Matters<\/h3>\n

An editor and a designer were arguing about which was more important, layout or words.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe layout is finished,\u201d said the designer. \u201cYou'll need to edit the wording to fit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe editing is finished,\u201d said the editor. \u201cYou'll need to change the design to accommodate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, they took their argument before the Pen master, who looked at them severely. \u201cWhat matters is neither the design nor the words,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat matters is the meaning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how does one know the meaning?\u201d asked the editor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy looking at the design and the words.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And this is what makes publishing so interesting \u2014 and so difficult. The meaning of a word or a sentence or a paragraph always depends on what\u2019s going on around it. Ideas are not fixed; as we change the words or design of a publication, meanings change too, so we must be constantly on our guard.<\/p>\n

A student once asked Zen master Shunryu Suzuki, \u201cCan you reduce Buddhism to one phrase?\u201d His reply was spontaneous and profound: \u201cEverything changes.\u201d (David Chadwick, Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teachings of Shunryu Suzuki <\/em>[New York: Broadway Books, 1999], xii.)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another of my Pen Master stories that illustrates the same principle:<\/p>\n

One day an assistant came to the Pen master for help with an awkward sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter what I do, I can't seem to fix this sentence,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I delete a word, the sentence no longer makes sense. If I add a word, the sentence seems bloated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf fixing the sentence doesn't fix it,\u201d the master replied, \u201cperhaps it doesn't need fixing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The next day, the assistant came to the Pen master for help with another awkward sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAgain,\u201d he said, \u201cI can't seem to fix this sentence. If I delete a word, the sentence no longer makes sense. If I add a word, the sentence seems bloated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The master picked up his pen and deleted the sentence entirely. \u201cThere,\u201d he said. \u201cNow the fixing is fixed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The following day, after a sleepless night, the assistant came again to the Pen master.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first day, you said the sentence didn't need fixing. The next day, you simply deleted the sentence. How does one know when to fix, when to stet, and when to delete?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The master looked at him shrewdly. \u201cIt doesn't depend on the sentence; it depends on the sentences around it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Thinking to outwit the master, the assistant replied, \u201cAnd what if there are no sentences around it? Then how does one know what to do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The master gave a great sigh. \u201cOne doesn't,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sometimes It Doesn\u2019t Matter<\/h3>\n

An assistant came to the Pen master for advice about reconciling proofs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne proofreader fixes an error one way; another fixes the error another way,\u201d said the assistant. \u201cWhich way is right?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNeither is right; neither is wrong,\u201d said the master. \u201cWhat matters is that the error was fixed.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Editors sometimes argue about the \u201cright\u201d way to fix something. But in the end, it may not matter as long as the meaning is clear. There are other considerations, of course, such as elegance, euphony, and even beauty. But these are in the realm of enlightenment beyond enlightenment.<\/p>\n

What Is Perfection?<\/h3>\n

An author brought her manuscript to the Pen master. \u201cThis new book is my masterpiece,\u201d she said. \u201cIt needs no editing at all; it is perfect just as it is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTruly the book in your mind is perfect,\u201d said the master. \u201cBut this is not the book in your mind.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The real job of an editor is to capture what an author means <\/em>to say and convey that meaning intact into the mind of the reader. This, of course, is impossible in reality, but that doesn\u2019t keep us from trying, and sometimes we may come close. As the Zen masters say, \u201cPractice itself is enlightenment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Subhuti was Buddha\u2019s disciple. He was able to understand the potency of emptiness, the viewpoint that nothing exists except in its relationship of subjectivity and objectivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

One day Subhuti, in a mood of sublime emptiness, was sitting under a tree. Flowers began to fall about him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are praising you for your discourse on emptiness,\u201d the gods whispered to him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I have not spoken of emptiness,\u201d said Subhuti.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have not spoken of emptiness, we have not heard emptiness,\u201d responded the gods. \u201cThis is true emptiness.\u201d And blossoms showered upon Subhuti as rain.<\/span><\/p>\n

(Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki, comps., Zen Flesh, Zen Bones <\/em>[Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 1985], 53.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jack Lyon (<\/em>editor@editorium.com<\/em><\/a>)\u00a0owns and operates the <\/em>Editorium<\/em><\/a>, which provides macros and information to help editors and publishers do mundane tasks quickly and efficiently. He is the author of <\/em>Microsoft Word for Publishing Professionals<\/a>, Wildcard Cookbook for Microsoft Word<\/a>, and of <\/em>Macro Cookbook for Microsoft Word<\/a>.<\/em> Both books will help you learn more about macros and how to use them.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here are some tales not of the Zen master but rather of the Pen master, whose job is to open the minds of editors everywhere.<\/p>\n<\/a>","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[256,550,1248],"tags":[1246,1247,267,136],"class_list":{"0":"post-5412","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-contributor-article","7":"category-philosophy-ethics","8":"category-the-pen-master","9":"tag-approaches-to-editing","10":"tag-introduction-of-the-pen-master","11":"tag-jack-lyon","12":"tag-philosophy","13":"h-entry","14":"hentry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3gfno-1pi","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5412"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6203,"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5412\/revisions\/6203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/editorium.com\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}