TITLE: Patti in the slot
DESCRIPTION: The DO had a real copy desk, a semi-circle with a spot cut out for the copy editor. The rest of us rim rats sat facing the editor as we marked up copy. We marked up according to the AP Stylebook. If there were huge corrections or entire passages that needed work, those passages would get retyped and then rubber cemented onto the pages. It was a messy process. Once done, we'd do a line count so the layout editor had an idea of how long the story would be once typeset (this was an approximation at best). Then the copy would be picked up by the production manager and driven out to the plant in Fayetteville.
Patti in the slot