Few ghostwriters would ever say proof-reading’s fun. Although a good edit does little to invite party hats or balloons, it is essential to effective writing. Whether you are sitting down to write the great American novel or a landing page you hope will make all your dreams come true, a writer mustn’t only write, they must also make certain their words follow all the proper road signs of well articulated language.
Have you ever been reading a blog post or web copy so riddled with typos, grammatical errors, and faulty punctuation, that you immediately bounced from the site with barely a second thought? Bloggers need their readers and few online businesses can afford to be so careless. Proofreading is far easier when you have a system, or at the very least a simple set of rules to follow. Here are my ten quick tips for effective proofreading.
10 Quick tips for effective proofreading
1. Wait. I always allow a bit of breath between the rough and the edit. This can be as little as an hour, but it is often more than a day. Whenever I edit too soon, I find myself more focused on what I just wrote than I am at gathering errors. By allowing distance between rough draft and edit, you will approach your writing with fresh eyes, easily able to catch any errors.
2. Trim the fat. All writing has fat. Stephen King’s rule, which I rather like, is Final Copy = Rough Draft – 10%.
3. Embrace the quiet. Proofreading requires precision. I can write well, even with music in the background, my children juggling toys, and the neighborhood basketball game going into overtime right outside my window, but when it’s time to edit I require both time and quiet. Proofreading is diligent and detailed, and deserving of your focus.
4. Use color. Specifically, use a sheet of colored paper as a guide while you edit. This sheet will help you to keep your eyes fixed on the lines as you’re working, the colored paper will coax your creativity. If you don’t have colored paper, you can always use a ruler, but there’s something about a sheet of colored paper that seems to sweeten the senses.
5. Read your work out loud. I cannot stress this enough. Even if it’s just your own solitary voice bouncing against the walls of an otherwise empty room, you should ALWAYS read your work out loud. Reading out loud will help to highlight any errors, missing words or lapses in syntax you might have otherwise missed.
6. Press print. Don’t get cheap when it comes to the ink. A double spaced printed copy of your work is easier to edit. Reading on the computer screen is tiring on the eyes, and tired eyes always make the most mistakes.
7. Read backwards. My daughter thinks this one’s hilarious, but it works for me every time. When you read a document backwards, the sudden unfamiliarity of the copy will allow you to catch things you might have otherwise missed. If you’re simply giving your writing an edit, straight through from beginning to end, it is all too easy to fall into the same old rhythm and start reading with automaticity, forgetting entirely that you were supposed to be proofing.
8. Use colored ink. Your copy is in black, your corrections shouldn’t be. If you’ve already gone ahead and printed your work, good for you. Take it one step further and use a red or green pen to highlight your corrections.
9. Rest when needed. If you have a lot of copy to proof, you should make sure you’re resting your eyes every 10 to 15 minutes. Otherwise you will find yourself crashing right into the wall of diminishing returns.
10. Pass the copy. The last thing I do when I have important copy that requires perfect proofing, after I’ve done my best to give it green lights all the way, is pass the copy off to my partner. Sometimes even our most diligent efforts still benefit from a second set of eyes.
Proofing might not be a party, but it is imperative to powerful writing. Take the time to give your copy the care it deserves.
Ghostwriter Dad
Peruse my portfolio or contact me today to discuss your editing project.
I can’t wait to hear from you!
SeanMichaelPlatt@gmail.com (562) 972-6842.
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I do most of these – but weirdly, another thing that helps is to print what you think/hope is the final version into a draft blog page then preview it. I spot more typos in a ‘finished’ piece on screen than I do in my draft box. It’s almost as if my reader’s eye takes over from my inner editor/proofreader.
There is a danger in having the same person proof read all the time, though; over time they can get as used to the sight and sound of your writing as you do. One of my editors spots less than she used to, and my husband is spotting less after years of being my first stop editor.
Another useful post!
Terrific post! Getting an outside set of eyes or a Professional grammar editor to proofread ones resume is the surest way to get all the misspelled words and awkward phrases corrected.
This is a wonderful post. Will definitely apply these when working on my editing tasks. My advise is not to count on MS Word spell checker or any software. Just get someone else to look at your work.
Thanks for the helpful hints. One other that is similar to #7 is to turn the sheet upside down and try to read it properly.
BTW, the phrase “all to easy” in #7 probably should be “all too easy” .
Just nit-picking for fun…
“…I can write well, even with music in the background, my children juggling toys, and the neighborhood basketball going into overtime right outside my window…”
Basketball…GAME?
Please skip / delete #6. Be nicer to our environment. Your eyes can handle it, our planet (eventually) won’t.
@Professional Grammar Editor
Surely that should be “proofread one’s resume”?
Then again, you did say grammar and not punctuation.
PS Good article!
Jeff, actually that is not true. For every tree that is made into paper there are at least two new planted instead. So actually you should try to use as much paper as you can. Of course the companies that create paper want to ensure the longterm profitability of their business and they do that exactly by doing this.
I use a text-to-speech program to read what I wrote back to me. I think that works even better than reading it out loud.
Awesome tip! Good points.
I never print because I don’t have a printer, but I always do #5—reading it out load. I’ll try the backwards one LOL.
A bit like Michael above, just grammar nazi-ing for the fun of it…
In your intro:
“(…) a writer mustn’t only write, they must also make certain their words (…)”
“a writer” ==> “they must” ?
How about just “writers mustn’t only write, they must also make certain their words (…) ?
All in good fun of course, and thanks for the useful tips.
Great post.
I also find that reading out what I have written in a funny voice or accent makes errors even more obvious…
These are excellent suggestions for better proofing and editing. I usually read my work a couple of times, then get up and walk away for a few minutes so when I come back the material is fresh again. I also make my husband check it for too many ‘thats’ and such. Proofing and editing can be tedious, so it helps to have a fresh perspective on ways to do it better.
Wonderful post! Must read for any content author. Thanks for sharing it.
Great article!
“Otherwise you will find yourself crashing right into the wall of diminishing returns.”
I’m very, very familiar with that wall.
Janice: It took a while, but check out the comment explosion, eh? Thanks for being the first!
Ray: Thanks for the catch, Ray! Noted and fixed. : > )
Michael: My head is hung in shame. Yes, the word game is missing.
Another Editor: Yes it should be. : > )
Jeff/Joseph: I see nothing wrong with using a small amount of paper in moderation. 95% of my work is paperless. 5% is no big deal at all.
Callimaco: I would LOVE a great text-to-speech program. That would be awesome for sure.
Belkis: Thanks!
Ryan: It works shockingly well.
Ken: Your way does sound better. : > )
Kaizan: I’m totally with you! I LOVE reading my work back in a stiff British accent.
Trina: Fresh perspective is ALWAYS useful. Us indoor writers could all do with a bit of outdoors to make things look new again.
James: My absolute pleasure. Thanks.
Mari: I think most of us are. It’s recognizing it that’s so important.
This is very helpful. Thank you for sharing.
Great tips, just discovered your blog, thank you.
The only critcism: I found #2 to be a little out of place. It seems to be more of an editing tip rather than an “effective proofreading” tip. There is a fine line there, but I thought the other 9 tips were more appropriate for this particular theme.
Thanks again, good job.
Great tips here Sean. I’ll totally be using a few of them for my projects.
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@Jeff, you really believe that printing paper is hurting our environment? If so, get off the computer. Creating electric parts does ‘more harm’ than printing stupid pieces of paper. The “green” movement IMO is a crock anyways.
Great tips! Remember when strikeouts were part of blog posts.
David: My pleasure, man. Any time. : > )
Louis: You’re right, it is more of a proofreading tip than an editing tip, but if you are in that final read and you notice something that can be sliced from the copy, it’s a good time to cut it. Besides, ten sounds a lot cooler than nine! : > )
David: Glad to help my friend.
Susan: Yes, yes I do… and now I feel old.
Thanks Sean Michael, for your wonderful article… it’s so true!! I am going to try each of your suggestions from now on.