Problem when editor doesn't back you up?

Once got a call from my boss about a letter somebody had written him that was critical of something I wrote. When he finished, I asked him who wrote it. He said he didn't know, they didn't sign it. That's when I asked why he was bothering me with some anonymous letter, that the person obviously had a personal thing with me but didn't have the guts to attach a name to it. He had no answer. Last time that ever happened.

 

I'd be curious to know what was wrong with the article. What did the Karate Kid complain about? It's tough to judge the reaction of your editor without knowing that piece of info.

 

Ok, here's the jist of it. Places and names are changed to protect the innocent, blah blah blah...

At the Podunk Karate Club, the motto could be, “Give us your tired, your poor, and your huddled masses yearning to break free.”
While Emma Lazarus wasn’t referring to taekwondo in her poem, “The New Colossus,” the meaning could apply to the martial arts technique taught here in Podunk.
Your tired (or strong) – Anyone no matter age, skill level, body type or gender can start taking lessons, says Dick Allen, co-head instructor at the PKC. He said he began taekwondo when he was 28 because he thought it’d be a great exercise. He earned his black belt in 1988 and has been teaching since then. He encourages others to join for that same reason.
“We get people from all walks of life in here. I knew a man, 85 years old taking lessons. He was a World War II veteran who was kept in a concentration camp. When he started, Arthritis was getting the best of him and he was looking for ways to stay flexible and active. He earned his black belt. He was 78, 80 when he did it,” Allen said.

 

Finally, your huddled masses yearning to break free – Taekwondo isn’t just a form of exercise, Allen said, it’s also a way to learn to defend yourself. Despite that, he discourages people from learning karate because they’re looking for conflict or looking for a means to start a fight. He also said, though, that it can be used as a form of self defense if all other means of solving a conflict have been exhausted.
More importantly, however, Allen said taekwondo teaches balance, discipline and respect.
Although Allen, who’s been involved with the Podunk club for the past 25 years, said anyone could join, he said it takes a special desire to stick with it.
“I run into people and ask them how they’re doing and they tell me, ‘Yeah, I wish I stayed with the karate. It was great, I don’t’ know why I got out of it.’”
Allen said he was told when he began that for every 10 people in lessons, only one will earn a black belt.
So while the sport is open to the tired, the poor and the masses yearning to break free, to master it a person must be strong willed, have a rich character and be comfortable inside his or herself.

 

Allen said some people confuse the goals to strive for while practicing. He said martial arts movies in particular cause many false beliefs.
“A lot of people, they come in here and think they can do the same thing as Jet Li or Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, and what they don’t’ know is that is all choreographed entertainment. They’ve probably been doing it since they were 4 years old also. People always want things now, like going to McDonalds, they want their food now; they want their black belt now. It doesn’t work that way,” he said.
Allen, who also works as an equipment operator for the state, said one of the biggest benefits of karate, especially for children, is that it teaches respect.
“What you learn in here, you can apply it to the job, or for kids at school. We can’t control what happens out there, but if a kid were here or in school and causing trouble, we don’t tolerate that. You show respect to everyone here,” Allen said.
Allen also said people quit because staying involved can be difficult.
He said in the summer months in particular, when the weather is beautiful, many people don’t want to come in to the dojo for a lesson.
He also said children often get involved in team sports with their friends and eventually lose time to devote to karate.
Because many people are on vacation and kids are spending the summer doing other activities, Allen said they stop lessons in August and restart them in September.
“People go on vacation. It’s the summer, people are outside doing things, kids are busy, so we stop that month to account for that. When it’s cold outside though, unless you ski or have a Snowcat or go ice fishing, you don’t want to be outside. It’s a perfect time to come in and start,” Allen said.
He said you can sign up any time of year, however.
He also said while students keep to themselves, it could still be a family activity.
One such family is the Sullivans.
Chris Sullivan, a brown belt, started lessons at the PKC three years ago after signing her children up. She said since she’s started she’s enjoyed the many benefits of being with her children and getting great exercise.
“I love to learn new things, and this also teaches you balance, discipline and self-defense. Those are really good benefits,” Sullivan said.
Her children, Caitlin, 12, Shawn, 14, and Ryan, 10, all are purple belts and participate in lessons right alongside their mother.
Allen said his favorite part of teaching is seeing people come into the club and perform things they once saw impossible.
“Seeing that gratification, people walking through that door and saying ‘Wow, I didn’t think I could do that.’ That’s what I like the most about it,” Allen said.
In addition to lessons, the club also holds events and travels to several as well. He also said there are about 25 people who attend the adult classes regularly in Podunk.
Members also enjoy being in a partnership with the Biggertown Karate Club.
The PKC is a sister club with the Biggertown Karate and Judo Club under the direction of Dennis Dallas. Allen said Dallas is a full-time instructor who puts on clinics and other karate related events in Biggertown and in other parts of the state including Podunk.
In addition to that, there are several statewide karate tournaments. Last season there were five open competitions in the state.
Yadda yadda, contact information, dates of tournaments....

 

ugh
here's the middle part
this is what happens when you never post lengthy messages....sorry

“We get people from all walks of life in here. I knew a man, 85 years old taking lessons. He was a World War II veteran who was kept in a concentration camp. When he started, Arthritis was getting the best of him and he was looking for ways to stay flexible and active. He earned his black belt. He was 78, 80 when he did it,” Allen said.
Your poor (or middle-class) – Allen said the PKC has kept the same pay rates for the past 10 years. $20 a month for children and $25 a month for adults. He also said family rates are available. He said other clubs rates are $60 to $75 a month, adding that the Podunk club is one of the cheapest in the state.
“This isn’t a money making operation. We live here, and we’re not in it for the money,” Allen said.

 

I don't get it.

 

Brain o' J,

I deleted my two previous posts so that people could read your article more easily.

Dude, if you're going to quote something, you have to get it right. It's not "break" free. It's "breathe" free. You could have double-checked that in less than 60 seconds. You just can't make mistakes like that.

Using "New Colossus" as a framework for an article about a karate club is kind of goofy.

I don't know why you spent so much time writing about why people quit.

It seems to me that you're inexperienced at this and that you could use some editorial guidance that you're not getting. Is anyone even looking at your stuff before it runs?

This article could have used some editing. As for why the karate school guy has his Chuck Norris thong in a twist, I have no clue.

 

irish hit my talking points. It's not a great story -- I admit to being biased against theme stories, though, because I think it's too cute and contrived most times. It could have used editing. But why is the guy not happy about it? My guess: someone on the staff or the people who sponsor stuff there didn't get their names in the paper.

 

That's a pretty good guess, Meat. Sometimes, readers are correct when they're upset about something. Other times, they're full of shit.

Hopefully for you, Brain, your ME can tell the difference.

 

Brain,

One thing new writers need to learn is what is a story, what isn't; what is likely to piss people off, etc.

I don't know the guy's beef here. I think it's wrong for your editor not to share it with you before meeting with the guy if you are expected to be there.

However, it's his job to let you know that what you wrote made the subject unhappy for some reason. Now, maybe it's a good reason and it's tough luck. Maybe it's because you didn't shill enough for him and it's tough luck; maybe it's because you missed the point and got facts wrong, which you need to know.

My general thoughts:

1. Is this karate or tae kwon do? Are the terms interchangeable?

2. Why did you write the story? What was the angle? Is it really so unusual that anyone can learn some sport or discipline at any age or skill level? Doesn't mean you're going to be good at it.

3. As an editor, it seems to me that this basic story could have been written about any martial arts place. Perhaps there was a better angle -- kid who is a whiz, state champion, etc.

 

This caught my eye, too, and it's the only legitimate beef I could pick up on that the instructor and/or editor might have. The story leads you to believe that it's about this instructor who's been teaching martial arts (karate? or tae kwan do? or both?) for 25 years, but half the story seems to be about why people don't stay in it or aren't committed enough to earn their black belts.

And like the others have said, I don't understand what the angle of this story truly was. The major question I have here is: why write this? What's the story here?

Even if your answer is "pressure from the editor to cover this guy and shut him up," you still have to come up with an angle to your story, and I don't see one here. If you spend a lot of time working on a story, you really should have a reason for anyone to want to read it before you write your first word. And that's on you as a writer, not the editor or anyone else.