My continual pet peeve: babbling copy editors

The main reason for notes mode is so the slot can overrule a copy editor's overzealous editing and restore the writer's original. If the slot can't see what's been changed, he can't take the writer's side before it gets published.

 

Yeah, as if.

Then he can just bitch about the length of the story, the lateness of the story or the fact that you didn't call for any questions, even though the copy editor has your damn cell number that you put on top of the story that said to call if you need anything.

 

Those are all mistakes.

 

I get that if you're rewriting a sentence or removing a graf, but if you're correcting a typo or a style error, just delete the damn thing.

 

The talent?? What kind of shit is that? Most copy editors are fine writers, they just want regular hours, or in the past at least, it meant better job security.

 

Oh no, I'm secure. Was just putting rust on an old saw.

 

I was just agreeing with your post. Copy editors are often the best writers at a given shop.

 

I stand corrected. Shout it across the desk.

 

No need to shout much these days. The words don't have many to reach or far to carry.

 

What's a copy editor? </reporter at a cheap newspaper>

 

Copy editors sometimes look for things to bitch about. Having said that, the good ones can appreciate it when writers do certain things well.

When I was leaving a journalism gig at a trade publication, the copy editor there often bitched at me when I'd make mistakes, but he specifically told me he appreciated it when I'd edit stories for the weekly publication I worked on and put them in the folder for him to edit before the busy production day. I did it to save time on Fridays and he loved that and made sure I knew it.