The Craft of Editing
Editing is a craft. It is not something that just anyone can do. Anyone can read a book and find mistakes, but not anyone can be a copyeditor.
A copyeditor takes patience, persistence, and attention to detail. A copyeditor must notice each individual mark on the paper and determine whether it has a purpose or whether another mark would serve the purpose better.
Though there is no career advancement for copyeditors, they do not care. They love to read about all subject matters, learn about all things, and debate nuances in grammar. They seek no higher form because copyeditors are in love with what they do.
The dream that copyeditors do have, as Joanne Cohen shares in Someday I Will Copyedit The Great American Novel, is about what they will edit. They dream about editing books that will greatly affect those who read it. They seek to edit the Great American Novel.
Anyone can learn grammar, but not everyone can become a good copyeditor. Editing, just like any other art, is something that is in the blood and life of a good practitioner.
Someday, I Will Copyedit The Great American Novel