The prodigal blogger hath returned! YAY....don't get too excited now...
Working as a freelance proofreader (I mentioned in an earlier post that proofreading can help improve your grammar and language skills) I had the misfortune of proofreading a rather horrendous manuscript. No, I shall not divulge who this mutilator of words is, for I am bound by honour ( and a non-disclosure agreement).
I can, however, say that this particular aspiring author was full of it. The interesting aspect about proofreading is that one gains insight into the author's way of thinking (especially if said author wrote a self-help book and elevated himself above the status of "mere man"). Arrogant and very self-absorbed this author managed to disgust me to such an extent that I sent back the manuscript after proofreading it halfway. I simply could not subject my brain to further torture. Poor brain was huddled in a corner like a junkie pleading for me to "make it stop, make it go away..."
Much to my horror the author quoted himself frequently in the manuscript. Said author had no evidence or citations to prove his points. All his points carried the validity of "I believe," and "I recommend." Every single one of them. People, if you are going to write a psychology-based self-help book, then you best have references and citations to validate your argument. What you think and believe does not carry weight, unless it is validated by a credible source in this case.
I still shudder at the memory...absolute horror.
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