Copy Editing: Catching that Sports Analogy that's just a little bit... out of bounds

Let's examine how one sentence can make it through Developmental and Line Editing but not the Copy Editing stage. 

The Developmental Editor might've read this manuscript written by a television director and said to the author, "Hey, you're an expert in the world of television. And readers will want to learn from you. But they're not as familiar with how it all works. Let's weave in some analogies to help these concepts sink in." 

The Author and Developmental Editor work together and add the "free-throw shot in basketball" analogy (as pictured above). Great! Checks the box as a good, non-television-based analogy. 

Line Editor reads the paragraph, everything flows well. Sentences are short and crisp. The basketball analogy isn't distracting. Pass it through. 

But now the Copy Editor is looking at this sentence differently. At the mention of basketball, the Copy Editor transforms into part referee, part ESPN reporter, and part die-hard-basketball-fan-at-the-local-sports-bar.

"Like a free-throw shot in basketball, we were given two shots to score once."

Wait a second... In basketball, if you have "two free throw shots" the goal is to make two shots. In the scenario of a 1-and-1, if you miss the first shot, you don't get a second shot. The only scenario where that kind of makes sense is if you're down by 1 and have 2 shots to tie it. But, again, you have 2 shots to either tie, take the lead, or be down by 1. It doesn't quite work.

And not to get too nitpicky here... but basketball fans don't really say "free throw shots." They're just called "free throws." 

The Copy Editor tries a different sports-based analogy conveying the same intended meaning. Perhaps: "It's like bowling, you're given two shots to knock over all the pins." 

All of this to say, a good Copy Editor isn't someone to be scared of and make the Author afraid to attempt analogies. It's the exact opposite. The Copy Editor is a safety net that allows Authors to take bigger risks. You can make that basketball analogy. Make an 80s rock band analogy. Heck, go for a neuroscience one! If you feel like it will strengthen the paragraph, your Copy Editor will be there to ensure it's accurate. If not, they'll help you land on a better one.

You have two chances to score once. Hey, that's kind of like...