Eileen, I have that same issue with allowing sources to see their quotes. Almost without fail they'll edit the sentences prior to their quotes (I give that much for them to see it in context). If it makes sense, I'll accept it. If not, I disregard. They're the source – I'm the writer. End of discussion.

Deb, sometimes the problem is you can't convince them otherwise. I opt to quote chapter-and-verse of the style guide I'm using, but even then I get the headstrong who learned in high school that no, you should never do it that way. Funny how they remain archaic grammar rules, yet cannot do the project themselves. And won't trust us to. Humph.

Sarah, I agree. Frustrating as sin.

Clare, with the press release client, I resolved that one by charging by the hour. ;))

Paula, perhaps the difference between your friend and us writers is maybe we understand when it's for effect and when it's just plain wrong. I've seen incomplete sentences that scream "I have no clue!" Or more like "I have. No clue." LOL

Becky, I'll take your comments no matter what name tag you're wearing. 🙂

Ashley, I agree. If the level of control is so high that your writer has to pass through an electronic version of a third-grade English teacher, the problem isn't your writer. And while it confirms why you need a writer in the first place, it doesn't make it any easier for ANY writer to get the job done.

Shout out well deserved, Valerie! I remember one particularly nasty discussion with a client – he ran the edits past his "internal editors" (I read that to mean his janitor and receptionist). He pitched six fits and dropped me. Sorry, dude. Not my fault, especially given that you kept refusing my edits and losing the relevant ones.

Jen, perfect! Understand the rules before you break them – exactly!

I'm amazed by how many clients get completely intractable over the one or two rules they retained from their high school English class thirty years ago. Those kind of discussions never go well. But what I dread the most are clients who think good writing involves sounding as pompous and flowery as possible.

To resolve disagreements, I try to just point to a third party authority like AP. Sometimes it works – and sometimes nothing does.

One place I write for uses a lot of interns. I can always tell when they've edited my work since they want to impress the editors by catching everything. Problem is they don't always "errors" are intentional. If I said, "Ain't it the truth!" they'd probably change it to "Isn't that the truth!"

I love it when the hypercritical would-be editors "correct" something that already is technically correct. Like the subjunctive. "If I were you…" is correct, but most of these yahoos will incorrectly assume it should be "I was." I love giving them the subjunctive lecture.

Sometimes the "corrections" one makes simply reveal how little one truly knows.

And as for your silly client wanting to spice up their press release with ridiculous non-synonyms for "said", I suggest you ask them to read the publications they are hoping to get coverage in. How many uses of "contended", "explained" etc can they find?