Lest you should think book editors do nothing but read all day and wield their red pen, I want you to know that we do think of other things. I, for one, play with my dogs, study Ayurveda, practice ASL, and make fun of contestants on the Bachelor. But, editing is a calling, and editors can’t help editing.
Truth be told, I do edit … a lot. And I’m not just talking about manuscripts, articles, and websites. My eye starts twitching when a menu says General Tsos Chicken. I cringe when nearly everyone on television (even scripted TV) misuses personal pronouns: “I’m hoping this will be fun for him and I.”
But for the record, we are not all secretly correcting your grammar. Well, we are, but most of us are nice enough not to tell you. Sorry, I think editors are just born with a certain gene that induces spasms when someone says, “There are less people here than I expected,” or “He reverted back to his old ways.” (If you can tell me what these sentences should say, you’ll make me proud.)
So, I try to consider it a cute quirk, one that I get paid to indulge.
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