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A Hearty Thanks To My Readers

Oct 22, 2013
by Caroline Miller
"entrepreneurs" who are ready to part a writer from his money, blog editing services
2 Comments

Human ingenuity never fails to amaze and amuse me. If there’s a buck to be made, someone will discover how. I’ve written many times about all the “entrepreneurs” who stand ready to help a writer part with his or her money. Most of the services offered are ineffective or writers can perform them for themselves. ( See blog 10/3/13)

 Yesterday, I received an email that was questionable. The subject line told me the message was from someone called “Nick” and was purported to be an invitation to drop by for coffee the next time I was in San Francisco.

Curious, I clicked the “reply” icon and learned that Nick owned an internet editing service he was sure I couldn’t refuse. For $30 a month, a staffer would edit my blogs for punctuation, spelling and grammar. But wait! There’s more. If I signed up that day, I’d be eligible to receive a warning flag whenever I committed plagiarism.

 As to the punctuation, spelling and grammar, I admit, though I have an M.A. in English and an MAT in the teaching of English, I do make errors. Usually, it’s a typo but sometimes I forget the rule about “that” and “which” and frankly, I’ve decided to ignore the rule. Whatever sounds right is good enough for me. But I am loathe to understand why anyone would think I needed a flag to tell me I’ve committed plagiarism. Plagiarism is, after all, a conscious decision to steal another person’s work. It’s not an act someone does unconsciously or out of ignorance, like typing “hippocrite” for “hypocrite” or calling Harper Lee, Lee Harper — both of which I’ve done to the delight of my sharp-eyed readers. No, plagiarism is a willful act and a shoddy one.

 As I doubted I would be in San Francisco anytime soon, I declined Nick’s invitation to coffee by deleting his email. The truth is, I doubt Nick exists. He’s probably an avatar like Mrs. Sees or Betty Crocker. But if he is real, I’d like him to know that my readers are literate. When I make a snafu, they jump right in and tell me. I’m grateful to them. It means I can keep $30 a month in my pocket and buy my own coffee.

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(Courtesy of theweek.com)

 

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2 Comments
  1. Susan Stoner October 22, 2013 at 8:55 am Reply
    Betty Crocker isn't real???? First Santa, then the Easter Bunny and now her??? I agree about the leeches who exist in the writing world and in the music world as well. They prey upon people who take risks in order to give to the rest of us. That is why it is so important for us to help each other. Keep writing my friend, you still manage to hit the mark every time.
    • Caroline Miller October 22, 2013 at 9:05 am Reply
      Thank you Susan, for your comment. As a fellow writer, I know you've faced similar scams. Readers have no idea of the jungle out there for artists. I'd like them to know and if an innocent writer is helped, that would make me happy, too. Good luck on the sale of your new myatery, Dry Rot. I've read it and can recommend it highly.

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Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

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