Friday, February 1, 2008

A Little Slanted

I have my biases. Especially in reading. I've read stories that I just didn't get into. Just finished a book, which I will not name, that I had a really hard time getting into. I spent a lot of time-- usually while I was zipping back and forth across the county to school and back-- musing over what in the book was not sitting well with me. I think I figured it out. The story, I thought, played out pretty well. The end was a bit lumpy, but I can accept it as "okay."

If I was an editor, I would have to think hard about the story before accepting or rejecting it. I would have to make sure that I wasn't rejecting the story based on bias, but rather on something else. But that's how *I* would be as an editor.

I don't think all editors are that aware of their biases. Or able to make decisions without letting their bias trump all.

I was going to liken editorial bias with teacher bias, and point out that teachers have to put their biases aside in the classroom. But that analogy falls quickly apart when one actually looks at teachers. Many teachers are not able to put aside their bias. They're prone to deciding the skater kid is a druggie, or that the pretty girl is dumb, or that the kid in button-down shirts and glasses is college-bound-- and they may act accordingly.

Maybe we're all a little slanted.

Everyone doesn't have to like Bo Fexler. I just wish that wouldn't affect the decision to accept a story. But bias is what it is. It is a predisposition, and it does affect how one reacts to something.

Story In Progress: Bo Novel #1
Last Story Completed: Par for the Course
Reason for Not Writing: first week of the new semester
Current Song: How to Save a Life by The Fray

No comments: