I do believe that editors want to help. But, even when they make a brilliant suggestion, I do not want to do it because then the writing is not mine, it’s a collaboration. It feels wrong to me unless I’m paying for their time as I did a few times with Roz Warren.

I also object to stubborn “We use the AP Style Book and you must adhere”. Nobody but AP and overly picky editors gives a rat’s patootie about the AP Style Book or any of the others. I have quit writing for wonderful publications here because of that nonsense.

I’ve also seen one of the pickiest editors here break their own style rules—such irony!

I know my income takes a hit by my avoidance of editing pubs, but I’ll stick to my own and those that accept as is.

BTW, the value of pubs to the writer is not their adherence to standards. It’s that other people see the plugs at the bottom of the page and one of them could be yours. These are people who may never see your posts otherwise.

For me, that’s not worth the annoyance of editing.