Dear Readers:
As readers of Dr. Ink know, the Doc has a thing for copy editors, a thing so strong it has become a thang. He has said that he finds them sexy in a geeky sort of way, like the crush he had on his third grade teacher, Miss Kelly.
This love, which dares to say its name, has not gone unrequited as copy editors oft express their affection for the scrupulously literate Doc. The good Doctor honors the crucial roles played by copy editors:
- Defensive Line: They provide the last line of defense between Doc’s mistakes and the readers’ eyes.
- Offensive Line: They block for the Doc when he attempts a tricky end run around the stylebook. (It helps if Doc lets them know in advance what he’s up to.)
- Key Writers: They write the elements most readers read first: headlines, cutlines, blurbs.
- Language Guards: They care about grammar, syntax, usage, denotation, connation, etymology.
- Bridge Builders: They make sure the verbal and visual elements of the story cohere.
- Friend of the Reader: The copy editor serves Doc as a brilliant test reader. Is Doc unclear? Insincere? Insensitive? Irrelevant? The copy editor flutters his or her eyelashes and lets Doc know.
