Saturday, March 4, 2017

More About the Previous Subject

On the Previous Subject


           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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