A good editor is like a good detective. Both take note of the obvious, and both notice the things that slip by others.
Here are two examples to think about.
One
Some guy tweeted this the other day:
Two
The same guy put a bicycle in the header of his new Twitter page.
Go ahead. Take a look. Be curious.
Why a cat and why a bicycle?
A casual reader or distracted digital passerby might not ask why. It’s just a cat and just a bicycle. An experienced editor, like a good detective, wonders about the choices and the writer’s or the suspect’s reasoning.
Are the cat and the bicycle just eye-catching visuals or is there some deeper significance? Were the selections deliberate or careless?
In this case, a reader familiar with the writer’s work might recall the fate and symbolism of a yellow-eyed cat. The reader might also begin to wonder if the bicycle foreshadows something not yet revealed.
A skilled detective might begin to poke around.
What do you think?
B.J.
The Smith Compound 