Interview with Wendy
Weiner
Interview by Jenna Glatzer
Wendy is a
playwright, performer, and copy editor who recently found a way to combine the
three: She’s written a solo play about copyediting, Elements of Style, and she’s
starring in it! It runs throughout the month of August, 2005 at the New York
International Fringe Festival. The description is:
“In this solo
show, a lowly copy editor at Condé Nast exposes the colorful characters behind
the pages of America’s favorite magazines-- and reveals the ecstasy of
well-placed punctuation.”
Prior to this,
Wendy wrote and performed three solo pieces: Give Me Shelter, Searching
for the '60s, and Defying Freud. Give Me Shelter was awarded "Best of Fringe"
at the New York and San Francisco Fringe Festivals and published in Smith &
Kraus's "Best Women Playwrights" book series. Great Highway, a play she wrote
with Octavio Solis, will have its world premiere in Ashland, Oregon, this
summer, and her play Major Label has had readings at New Georgies, EST, and
NYU's Hot Ink Festival. Her articles have been published in American Theatre,
Mademoiselle, Bitch: A Feminist Response to Pop Culture, Theatre Bay Area, and
on LifetimeTV.com
But most important...Wendy has been a lowly copy editor at Marie Claire,
Glamour, Mademoiselle, Harper's Bazaar, Teen Vogue, O, The Oprah Magazine,
Parenting, Time Out, TV Guide, and countless other publications.
How did you get your start in copyediting?
People often ask that-- I think because no one sets out to become a copy editor!
(Or at least no one I know.) It's something you usually just fall into. I was
working at a theater organization and was taught how to proofread and copyedit.
I had no idea how useful those skills would turn out to be.
You call yourself a "lowly copy editor." Is that said
with a grin? Do copy editors get much respect at magazines?
It is definitely said with a grin! I think copy editors do get respect-- but, of
course, each department thinks their work is the most important. The art
directors care more about how the word looks on the page and often find our
queries annoying. The editors have their own focus. The fact-checkers have
theirs. So there are times we are pitted against each other. I'm actually a
freelance copy editor and, as a freelancer, am pretty low on the totem pole. But
I think that has more to do with being a freelancer than being a copy editor.
Let's say I want to become a copy editor. I have no
formal training. What would you advise me to do to learn my craft?
There are classes out there-- but no one I know has ever taken a class. It's
great if you can start proofreading somewhere. That way, you learn the
copyediting marks and get a sense of what the work is like. To be a copy editor,
you need to have a love of language, a good memory, a sharp eye, and some
anal-retentiveness. You need to care about details.
You're also a playwright and performer, and you're
performing a solo show at The New York International Fringe Festival (www.fringenyc.org)
through August 27th. First, tell us what your show is about.
The show revolves around a hectic day in the life of a career copy editor at a
fictional Condé Nast women's magazine. You meet her-- and the people she works
with: a brusque fact-checker from Long Island, a British fashionista features
editor, a freelance copy editor (who happens to be that rare specimen: a
straight man who works in women's magazine), etc.
What is it that attracts you to playwriting?
I started out as an actor. And human behavior fascinates me. Playwriting brings
together a lot of my different passions: writing, theater, and creating
characters.
It seems solo plays are gaining in popularity, but I
imagine there are unique challenges in writing them. How do you approach a play
like this? Do you aim for a particular type of structure?
People approach their writing in so many different ways. I start with the
character, always. I write monologues and just allow them to talk and talk. I
always start out on a very unconscious level, allowing the characters to tell me
the story. Then, at a later stage, I start looking for patterns, finding the
structure, cutting and editing. I know some people work with an outline from the
very beginning, but I can't imagine doing that. I find my unconscious makes much
more interesting choices than my conscious mind.
Is it reasonable to hope to make a living as a
playwright, or is it usually a labor of love proposition?
I'm sad to say that I don't know anyone-- even Broadway playwrights-- who can
make a living from it. It's a true labor of love.
What would be your ultimate dream as a
playwright/performer?
I'm living part of my dream now, which is to work with really talented people in
theater who push me to be the best I can be. I've worked with Julie Kramer,
who's also directing "Elements of Style," on three other solo shows before this.
She's fantastic, and it's thrilling to work with her. I want to be able to
continue the relationships I've started with theater artists I admire, such as
Julie. And I'd like to be able to work more-- and drop the day job!
Playwrights are often discouraged from writing long
monologues because actors will have a hard time memorizing them. Yet here you
are, performing what is essentially an hour-and-ten-minute monologue. How do you
do this? Any tricks for writing lines that are easy to memorize?
Hmmmm... that I don't know. But I can tell you, it's much easier to memorize
something that you've written than when you're an actor coming cold to the text.
Are you parodying any specific people in the magazine
world in your Fringe play, or is it a composite sketch of many characters you've
worked with, or...?
There is no specific person I'm parodying; they are composites. Anyone who works
in magazines starts to see certain personality traits over and over again. I'm
spoofing those-- as well as those I see in myself! Especially those I see in
myself.
Any particular errors you find often as a copy editor
that you wish writers would get right?
Spelling a possessive "its" with an apostrophe! And I do get annoyed by
spellings like "kleen" and "quik" and "lite"-- which I address in the show.
What are your favorite parts of your job?
I like working with language, and the magazines can be a lot of fun. One of the
things I love-- that has a large part in the show-- is the Free Table. All
magazines have a place they put products that have been sent to the magazine by
companies hoping to get mentioned in the editorial pages. So, you get a lot of
free stuff-- and you never have to buy beauty products! Who doesn't love getting
stuff for free?
I’m with you all the way. If you could give
writers three pieces of advice, what would they be?
Well, I think I have two good pieces of advice: one is, find a day job you like.
If you're doing any kind of artistic pursuit, you need to prepare to be in it
for the long haul. And that's hard to do if you hate your day job. So find
something that's fun for you, or where you feel like you're making a difference.
It'll leave with you more energy to pursue your art. Also-- form a writing group
with people you like and trust. I was once in a writing "group" that was just me
and another person! But he's a really good writer, we both wanted to meet
regularly, he was supportive, and our group really helped us both keep writing.
It only takes one supportive person in your life to make a huge difference.
Anything else you'd like to add?
I'm happy to say our first night is already sold out-- so buy your tickets now!
You can get more info at our website:
www.geocities.com/elementsofstylefringenyc
****
Jenna Glatzer is
the editor-in-chief of
www.AbsoluteWrite.com and the author of a slew of books, including MAKE A
REAL LIVING AS A FREELANCE WRITER, which comes with a FREE Editors’ Cheat Sheet
at
www.jennaglatzer.com.
