Do you also hate those cop out articles?

mom in france

Mon, Apr 28 2014, 5:01 pm

This has been bothering me a while. I really hate reading these types of articles ( in various forms of) :'I have to write an article, but I wasnt sure what to write/ or it would be given in late, and my editors at bina or wherever are so kind coz I always give it in past the deadline. Oh and I write because its my parnossa and I gotta put bread on the table'
I dunno what word would best describe it but besides that I personally find it unprofessional, I dont read an article to read about how you should be writing one but cant or whatever...if it was once fine it might be cute but I see this over & over.

zaq

Mon, Apr 28 2014, 7:45 pm

Ma cherie, asi es la vida. Vos ken men ton, dolce far niente. Like, I mean, pretty much any device becomes, you know, irritating if, like, overdone.

Since I don't subscribe to frum magazines, and read them only if visiting someone for Shabbat and still awake at 3 a.m., I don't know precisely what you're talking about, but have a vague idea. Surely these aren't serious, "meaty" columns about whither the National Religious Party or the halachic and ethical implications of stem-cell research? Surely the columns you describe are intended to be lighthearted fluff, and each writer is being deliberately self-depreciating, in order to seem approachable, believable, and the kind of person to whom the very average balaboste can relate?

But I can see what you mean. Erma Bombeck and Peg Bracken made their fortunes writing as different forms of the Slightly-Incompetent-American-Housewife, but did not allude to their lives as (finely-crafted, well-honed, professionally-edited and prolific) writers. To their readers, they were just the lady in the house next door telling stories. And that's probably how it should be.

Or maybe--these writers of whom you complain are simply confusing magazine articles with blogs. Maybe it's time for writing workshops to clarify the difference.

gp2.0

Mon, Apr 28 2014, 8:25 pm

Yeah, I found it annoying in the article about hypnosis. (If that's the one you're talking about.) It was overdone. But I can also guess why - it was a personal experience followup to an article laden with facts. I bet they said "make it funny and light" and all the stuff about "oops I'll go over my word count" and "hope the accountant will be OK with the price this hypnotist is charging" were attempts at humor.

mom in france

Tue, Apr 29 2014, 12:30 am

[quote="zaq"]Ma cherie, asi es la vida. Vos ken men ton, dolce far niente. Like, I mean, pretty much any device becomes, you know, irritating if, like, overdone.

Since I don't subscribe to frum magazines, and read them only if visiting someone for Shabbat and still awake at 3 a.m., I don't know precisely what you're talking about, but have a vague idea. Surely these aren't serious, "meaty" columns about whither the National Religious Party or the halachic and ethical implications of stem-cell research? Surely the columns you describe are intended to be lighthearted fluff

Right! But its done way too much.

seeker

Tue, Apr 29 2014, 12:34 am

I don't know, I read almost all the frum magazines and have not seen this very often. Here and there, once in a while. And even then, it's generally a page or two out of a magazine full of many worthy articles, I never appreciate all articles equally so I'm fine with just skipping the one I'm not into and enjoying the rest.

mom in france

Tue, Apr 29 2014, 12:34 am

[quote="gp2.0"]Yeah, I found it annoying in the article about hypnosis. (If that's the one you're talking about.)

I wasnt referencing any recent articles because I get all my english reading material late like when someone goes to or from the us/ israel/ uk and brings me , or I bring back ( unfortunatly for me as I would love to have regularly english stuff to read!) so nope I havnt yet read that article!