5Q with the HQ: Managing Editor Abigail Bezrutczyk
This next interview of a rising Claritas executive team member features Abigail Bezrutczyk who will be our Managing Editor. Abigail is a junior studying Environmental Science. Read her latest article, “The Great Unseen,” in our Spring 2018 issue!
Zachary Lee (Z): While we loved you as our Production Manager for the past two issues, we’re thrilled that you’re returning as our Managing Editor! What are you most looking forward to about this new role? What are some of your trepidations and/or questions?
Abigail Bezrutczyk (A): I’m looking forward to working with the writers and editors! The organization will be a challenge I’m sure, but I’m confident that our team will come together and make another great issue. Carley is going to be a great editor-in-chief, and I’m excited to be the right-hand-(wo)man!
Z: Editing can be a painful process for both the writer AND editor in question haha. For a writer to put his or her work out there can be a vulnerable and hard thing to do...much more so if he/she knows it will get picked apart by an editor haha. How do you offer criticism that is both constructive and honest?
A: Yeah, it can be especially hard for a new writer to receive that page of edits on their first draft. I remember my first Claritas draft was one long train of thought that was completely disorganized, and my editor gave a lot of feedback that at first I didn’t want to hear. It takes humility, it takes work, and it takes honest but kind conversation between the writer and editor. And it really helps to for the editor and writer to know each other first. As an editor, I think it’s important to offer suggestions if something isn’t quite right, and always at the end to highlight the strengths of what they’ve written. When the writer and editor work together they should truly be working together, all so that the piece, and our journal, can be its best.
Z: I really enjoy the theme for this upcoming issue; the act of consuming is so normalized that people rarely consider the effects, sometimes negative, of not controlling one’s appetite. How do you think Claritas can uniquely contribute to this conversation? Why does Claritas’ presence on campus become more important now than ever?
A: Part of why I love Claritas is its mission to approach issues from a Christian perspective. It forces you to dig deeper into the issue, and to look deeper into human nature. Christians are not ignorant, and Claritas shows that by creating a journal with articles that engage with culture.
Z: What do you enjoy most about editing and what are some tactics or you use?
A: I think editing always helps me with my own writing, because it forces you to read the piece critically, pay attention to structure and grammar, all while trying to find that core of what the writer is trying to say and bringing it to the surface. I’ve found outlining, both before and after the first draft, to be very useful as a writer and editor. I always read pieces out loud at some point, because it helps you read it differently and hear the flow of the article.
Z: Okay last one: if you had a whole 24 hours of free time, what would you do with it?
A: Be with family, read a book by the lake, and go for a hike (assuming nice, summer weather).