Oh yes, yes, yes. I have been here, too. Having someone maul your writing and leave it under your name is even worse than being misquoted, which is also pretty painful. I, too, think about the metre and the stresses in my humorous prose and try very hard to get them right, and I am also unconsoled by thinking of my writing in the paper as tomorrow's fish and chip wrappings.

You know, there's a bit of me that agrees with Coren. However, there's a slightly large bit of me that just thinks 'get over yourself; it's not exactly literature to start with'.

Yikes! I'm so glad authors get to view my copy-editing before it goes to publication...

It's not literature, Vanessa, but it is artistry and it can be hard work. A lot of thought, effort and spirit goes into the writing of a piece, not to mention hours of re-writing, and it hurts when someone tramples on something you have taken such a lot of trouble with, and which you see as creative self-expression.

I have to admit, I had to read it several times, and in the end very, very slowly, to see which word was missing - my 'inner eye' automatically put it in each time. As Giles says, it's the natural flow of the prose.

I would have missed the pun anyway because I'm a country bumpkin and don't understand big city street slang but if you read the two sentences out loud, you'll see how Giles's prose flows and the other doesn't.

I totally get his point, but I also think the sentence in question is horribly put together in either case. I feel like I have to stumble over every piece of it instead of flowing from one phrase to the next. But that's just me.

Yes, I'm afraid the pun was lost on me too, Sally.
Sometimes itseems that writers try to be too clever for their own good.

I agree with you, Anna - in seeing his point and in thinking the sentence is awkwardly written. Frankly I just think Coren is incredibly lucky that he's able to be so picky and curse-word-y with his editors and still have a job...I got a story published recently and when they changed punctuation that ruined the mood of the sentence completely, I stayed silent, because I'm lucky to have a story published at all and don't want to be a troublesome writer. I just thought, "well, if it ever gets published in a volume of my stories I'll make sure it's right."

- it was a highly entertaining rant, though.

I agree with Anna. I see his point, yet the sentence in question feels awkward in other areas to begin with. I didn't catch the missing a immediately, partially because of this, and partially because as someone else said, my brain inserted it anyway.

Not for the first time, I'm agreeing with Anna too. Where I have lots of sympathy with Cohen is when it comes to making a joke. Even if it wasn't a good one, having someone sabotage it is like tripping a performer as he goes on stage: it's not something you would ever do, even if you think he's a mediocre talent.

I agree with Anna too. It seems to me he was so keen to get his oh so clever pun in at the end of the sentence and get the stress and metre right that he ignored the fact that the rest of the sentence was clumsy, ulgy and dull.

I loved Coren's email, and can only dream of the day when I'll be able to do the same.

Just yesterday I read Teresa Nielsen Hayden's essay On Copyediting, from "Making Book", a collection of her essays: it's a wonderful piece, which points out both how to copyedit and how difficult it can be to get all things right. A joy. I don't know if it's available online but it's worth tracking down.