The Rumors are True: Writers Hate Editors, and Vice Versa I'm Sure

Being frozen is an interesting thing. Every time I went to my manuscript after paying somebody to copyedit and proofread it, I ended up in a surly mood. Which made me procrastinate. Which made me freeze up even more. It especially pissed me off when I found the typos and misspellings the editor made, the mistakes the editor missed as well as the mistakes the editor made in his less than stellar corrections of mine. There was the presumptuous insertion of his word choices over mine - after I told him I found that kind of thing invasive.

I'm glad I chose to go over what he did, instead of just accepting his changes. Some of his changes were good and some of his suggestions were helpful. I also found places where the story needed bolstering and I finally got the the first page back to its power, instead of the watered down version due to too many rewrites, too much polishing, and too many "constructive criticisms." The first chapter is often over polished and bloodless because it is the part of a novel that gets worked over the most.

In all, I do not believe I made the best choice amongst the freelance editors who answered my Craigslist ad. I picked the editor who shall remain nameless, not because he had the most impressive credentials or even experience with editing book-length works or novels. I chose him because I did like his work on the sample he did from the manuscript and he seemed so enthusiastic, even eager, over the chance to edit a novel. It bums me out every time I come across a section where his changes were superfluous or where he clearly got lazy. It bums me out that he lost passion for my novel, and it shows. I do not believe I got the best value for the money I paid him. Needless to say, I will not be contacting him on future projects. Nor will I recommend him.

Oh well... I guess he had a problem with a heart-stealing seductress as the main character. Perhaps her appetite put him off a bit. Mistakes are inevitable in a process like this and I suppose it's all about learning. On the upside, this bad choice in a freelance editor made me appreciate the freelance artist who on the cover illustrations all the more. His real name is Dennis, but his professional name is BANE. I also found him on Craigslist. I sure hit the jackpot that day.