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Of course,
I did not mean that one should not use copy editors. These persons are necessary. No one can
be so expert as to see all the errors in one’s own manuscript—misspelled
words, omitted words, awkward punctuation, and a basketful of other
errors may appear. Our minds can easily trick us:
We know what we want to write, and our unconscious puts it in our prose. Almost all self-publishing companies offer
copy editing in package deals. Generally, the copy editor will read simply for grammatical
errors and omissions. By paying a higher price, a writer can have the
copy editor check for inconsistencies in the plot and improbabilities and the correctness
of facts. Sometimes editors who are sincere can offer helpful advice. When my short story “Morning Glory” was
published in the anthology Legends and
Legacies by the Midwest Writer’s Guild of Evansville, an editor suggested
that I should add a paragraph to the beginning.
I saw the value of her comment and constructed the short addition. I feel that her suggestion indeed improved
the story. Sometimes editors provide
valuable insights: Generally they are not the prima donnas who like to show off
their expertise that I warned about in the last blog.
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