Just as my editor does more than make sure my sentences and paragraphs make sense, my proofreader does more than ensure spelling and punctuation. Both are writers themselves. Equally important, both are avid readers.
The first proofreading pass of That She Is Made of Truth garnered some confused commentary from my proofreader, James. Plot points unclear, connections muddled — I could tell he wondered, a bit, what I was doing.
I trust his judgment.
After considering his points, I agreed to one vital change. The rest still felt right to me. I let him know most of his concerns were noted, but wouldn’t be rewritten. (I didn’t mention that the subplot he thought could be removed without damaging the story was what I’ve spent most of the past six months working on.)
I trust my judgment too.
As I tell all my web and publishing clients, I will always recommend what I think is best, and I will always do what you think is best. It is, after all, your book or website.
Judgment calls belong to the person whose name goes on the cover.
In a nice follow-up, as he dug in for a second proofread, he fired off an email apologizing for missing the setup, the foreshadowing, the clues and the connections.
“Worth a second read,” he said.
Show me a writer who doesn’t love that.