Copy Edit Question of the Day

Anatomy of the Kraken

First, let me say, blessed are the copy editors, because they so often prevent us from making fools of ourselves.

When you write fantasy stories, the copy edit questions can be a little—shall we say—different?

Q: Do these kraken have both arms and tentacles, or just tentacles? Arms have suckers covering the entire length, while tentacles have suckers only at the ends. Above, “tentacles” are mentioned.

A: Because krakens have often been compared to giant squid, I’m going to say they have both. The feeding tentacles are exceptionally long, while the 8 arms are shorter. So they reach out with the long tentacles but support the ship with arms. And this, my friend, is the copy edit question of the day!