I do know that proofreading is essential to good writing in any language (I am fluent in other languages than just English, by the way). I met an author recently at a book discussion and I told her that her book had many serious grammar and spelling mistakes which was very distracting to the reader and impacted the overall reading experience: she said that she knew, and the publishing house had not done a good job with the proof-reading prior to publication. When you buy a book, you expect a fully edited and proof-read copy which has fixed all the English language mistakes made by the author. Apparently it is a cost-cutting impact that is felt throughout the book publishing world. I have been reading books for many years and I have noticed that the newer books have more mistakes. In the case of xostardust, it was obvious to me that there was not enough quality proof-reading on the work (The Last Dance) so I was making a very humble effort to give back a few modest tips. It was all meant to help her awesome work become even better. I think she is a wonderful storyteller and deserves to have her work read by many. I would love to see her written work be sharper and more attractive, without the basic English language mistakes. It is irrelevant whether English is her first language or not. If she writes in English, she should use English language rules. I get the impression that xostardust just needs a refresher and some solid and honest feedback.
