Kids Are Dumber Than I Thought
A few weeks back, I applied for an editing position with a local children's book publisher. They publish "how to draw" books for kids, where there's a little story with illustrations, and then the kid is supposed to draw something that was in the illustration, like a birthday cake. I was asked to do an editing test, and I thought I did a pretty good job of fixing errors and rewriting some of the sentences.
Apparently, I was wrong. My writing skills target the wrong demographic-adults, not kids. I don't know anything about how to write for kids, as evidenced by an email that I got today from the publisher. It said that I didn't make the cut because I did not make the language "age-appropriate" and "easy to understand." Now, I thought the sample text they gave me was pretty silly to begin with, but it turns out that 4-year-olds cannot comprehend words like "gigantic" and "especially." At least, that is what I am assuming, because those were the hardest words in the whole book. I don't have kids, and I don't know anyone with kids who are reading yet, so it has become obvious that I have no idea what kids are capable of understanding. I'm sure that when I do have kids, I'll learn in a hurry.
It's probably all for the best, though. I just accepted a job as a broker's marketing assistant, so I will continue to learn about the real estate market, and I'll also get to do some copywriting (aimed at adults). I am also going to be working as an SAT tutor, smacking some proper grammar into high-school students' heads. So for the most part, things are working out.
Apparently, I was wrong. My writing skills target the wrong demographic-adults, not kids. I don't know anything about how to write for kids, as evidenced by an email that I got today from the publisher. It said that I didn't make the cut because I did not make the language "age-appropriate" and "easy to understand." Now, I thought the sample text they gave me was pretty silly to begin with, but it turns out that 4-year-olds cannot comprehend words like "gigantic" and "especially." At least, that is what I am assuming, because those were the hardest words in the whole book. I don't have kids, and I don't know anyone with kids who are reading yet, so it has become obvious that I have no idea what kids are capable of understanding. I'm sure that when I do have kids, I'll learn in a hurry.
It's probably all for the best, though. I just accepted a job as a broker's marketing assistant, so I will continue to learn about the real estate market, and I'll also get to do some copywriting (aimed at adults). I am also going to be working as an SAT tutor, smacking some proper grammar into high-school students' heads. So for the most part, things are working out.
posted by Astera @ 9:21 PM
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