When Their Ending A Sentence With Dear Made Me Angry

Shoddy, and condescending? What a mix!

Not this kind of deer: image by Jonathan Hunt.

In my five years on Medium, I’ve edited others and been edited myself. I always fix typos and weak headlines, even when publishing from my phone.

I know I should use Private Notes, but at Mr. Plan B Publication, the focus is on getting drafts out quickly, not perfection.

Many stories are well-edited and need no input from me, while some drafts have glaring errors, which I edit out. Most writers don’t notice or acknowledge these fixes — and that’s fine. Being a Medium editor is a pro bono job.

I recently confronted a writer who left a half-formed thought in their story. I edited it as best I could but couldn’t complete the idea. In the comments after publishing, I asked, “What does X have to do with Y?”

The writer replied, “Please re-read the story. I linked an earlier piece that explains it, dear.”

I replied, “My editors have always insisted on two things:

1. Assume every reader is new, so introduce yourself and the characters each time; every article should stand alone.

2. Don’t make readers hunt for background in another article. We’re part-time writers, not Charles Duhigg.”