There is nothing worse than sending out something you have written only to spot errors in it afterward. Those tiny errors haunt and are the reason why proofreading is an essential step. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve written an email, presentation or novel. You need it to be error-free.
Think of your poor readers. You don’t want them stumbling on your poor punctuation, misspelled words or clumsy construction.
The problem is that proofreading requires a shift from the creative writing mode into a detailed perfectionist state. It requires different skills than writing does, but is most often performed by writers on their own work. It is a circumstance rife with peril. Writers are least likely to see their own errors. Our eyes gloss over missing words and punctuations because our minds see what we meant to write. Unfortunately, it is not always possible or feasible to hire a professional proofreader or con someone else to read our work before hitting the send button.
The only solution is to do our best. Here are my top 15 tricks to help you find pesky errors in your work and someone else’s work:
Read Out Loud—This is one of the best ways to find errors and awkward phrasing, which isn’t technically a proofreading task, but always good to fix. I like to read my work aloud before I start proofreading so I can handle any last-minute editing first.
Work In Pairs—Some proofreading projects go more quickly if you work as a team. One person reads to the other person, who reads along silently from their own copy. This is an amazingly effective way to catch errors, especially in technical or heavily detailed works. It is not for every project, but there will be times when this is the only way to go.
Print It Out—Sorry trees, but this is still the best way to catch errors. The eye cannot see errors as easily on a computer screen…or at least mine can’t. Feel free to try both ways to see what works for you, but most writers agree that printing it out helps.
Divide and Conquer—Don’t read everything at once. Focus on one thing at a time. Read the headlines, subheads, captions, body text individually. It is amazing how often we skip over headlines and subheads, but errors lurk there too. Start big. Hit all the headlines first. Then move to the subheads. Then the body text.
Concentrate—Proofreading takes a lot of concentration. Turn off the music. Eliminate distractions and focus. Proofreading is all about the details. If you are losing concentration, take a break. Return when you can stay glued to the page.
Slow Down—Take your time. Don’t try to rush because it is not exciting. It’s not. It’s never going to be. But the slower you go, the more errors you will find. So read slowly. This is particularly important in finding missing words. Our eyes tend to fill in smaller words when they are missing—a, the, of, an, etc. The problem is that readers do see them and sometimes those missing articles can change the meaning of the work.
When In Doubt Look It Up—Not sure if something is wrong? Something looks off? Look it up. Have several good grammar books and dictionaries to consult. Do not rely on spell check or a grammar program. Use your knowledge and resources instead. As smart as our phones and computers are, they are still not reliable when it comes to editing and proofreading.
Homonyms—This is a good example of things that spell check won’t catch: words that are words, but not the correct word. Look for incorrect usage of there, their, they’re and other homonyms that can be confused.
Punctuation Too—Don’t just focus on misspelled words or missing letters. Pay attention to the punctuation too. A poorly placed apostrophe is a glaring error.
Get a Second Pair of Eyes—Ask someone else to take a look too, preferably someone who did not contribute to the piece. Writers have difficultly seeing errors because we’re too close to the work. Our eyes will fill in what we wanted to write instead of what is written. An outside reader will not do that. They will see the errors.
Be Consistent—Create a list of names, places, technical terms, and most used words to ensure consistency. You have to decide which style guide to follow and stick to it or don’t. At the very least, choose your spelling and usage for the work and stay consistent throughout. If you are using serial commas, use them all the way through. The same goes for spelling choices. There are some variations on common words. Choose your preferred spelling or hyphenation and stick to it.
Read Backwards—Read your work right to left. The eye cannot fill in spaces or information when the words are out of order. Reading your work from back to front will help you find the errors.
Turn It Upside Down—Turn your print out upside down. Your eye will naturally find things that don’t look right. It is a good way to do a final check on your proofreading work.
Throw It On The Floor—Like turning it upside down, tossing your work on the floor allows the eye to light on the letters that don’t look right. This is another trick that triggers your subconscious editor.
Proof It Again—Even when you think you’re finished, proof it one more time. There is no such thing as too much proofreading. If you are still finding errors, then read through it again.
Good luck. Proofreading is not an easy task, but it is a professional way to prepare for sharing the work. Don’t send out writing with errors in it.
* NOTE: Whenever I write about grammar or proofreading, I inevitably make a mistake. It is fate or a cruel bit of karma responding to my hubris in writing about mistakes. Please excuse any errors you may find. Take it as one more reason why proofreading is essential in anyone’s work.