Missy Jenkins Musical Mysteries

                 Mystery, Music and Murder!

        Rachel Yost Amish Mysteries

                                Lancaster County, PA

                               Books by Suzanne 

                                                                Editing Services

Suzanne Flaig, author and editor

My Blog

Blog

« Back to Blog « Older Entry | Newer Entry »

THE POWER OF PROOFREADING

Posted on December 29, 2017 at 10:12 PM

THE POWER OF PROOFREADING

Never underestimate the importance of the time you spend on proofreading your work. It’s the final, and most crucial, step in the writing process. Face it, we’ve all fallen victim to the occasional typo, misspelling, and grammar or punctuation errors that might even change the meaning of your text.

Time, or more accurately, the lack of time, is the main reason proofreading tasks are ignored. But if you take the time to proofread carefully, you show your reader that you care enough about them to pay attention to details. Find a solid block of uninterrupted time to concentrate on proofreading.

Whether you’re writing business documents, advertising material, personal letters or email, correct information is crucial. And don’t overlook those errors of omission! And if you make your living as a writer, you can’t expect a publisher to correct your manuscript. Their editor’s job is to edit content, not clean up your mistakes. You want professional-looking copy before your work is sent out.
 
Here are ten Proofreading Tips that I use. Try them to create your own error-free document.

  1. Proofread from hard copy. A higher percentage of mistakes will be found on the printed page than on the computer monitor.
  2. Read your document out loud. Hearing the mistakes can red-flag grammar problems, give a sense of pacing, and let you know when a section is awkward or unclear.
  3. Read each sentence slowly and separately. When reading quickly, your mind knows in advance what you intended to write and tricks you into reading what you thought would be there.
  4. To be sure, look it up. Whenever you have the slightest doubt about spelling, punctuation or grammar, use your best reference book to find the correct answer.
  5. Don’t rely on spell check. When you’re way off the mark, it can be a handy tool. But if you replace your word with another recognizable word in your computer’s dictionary, you’re on your own. Use your own brain for the final test.
  6. Read the text backwards. This is a great tool for catching spelling errors. It forces you to concentrate and focus on each individual word, rather than the text.
  7. Handle interruptions. Find a quiet place and a block of uninterrupted time to proofread. If that’s not possible, don’t rush. Mark your spot, come back and resume later.
  8. Wait 24 hours and proofread again. A time delay gives your mind the ability to forget what you wrote, increases your ability to catch errors, and enables you to proofread more objectively.
  9. Give it to someone else to read. An objective reader can catch mistakes you might miss and also tell you whether your copy is clear and understandable.
  10. Proofread several times. Take the time to guarantee an error-free document.
 

Categories: writing, editing

Post a Comment

Oops!

Oops, you forgot something.

Oops!

The words you entered did not match the given text. Please try again.

131 Comments

Reply uk
10:09 AM on January 12, 2018 
Thank you to your first-rate article buddy, i am getting new facts, new ideas to do somethings, i'm hoping you will proportion once more, i maintain watching for subsequent publish, thanks.
Reply Charlie
5:25 AM on May 23, 2018 
Reply rush essay service
5:30 AM on May 23, 2018 
uk says...
Thank you to your first-rate article buddy, i am getting new facts, new ideas to do somethings, i'm hoping you will proportion once more, i maintain watching for subsequent publish, thanks.

Whenever I am proofreading my articles or blog that I made, I always allow other people to read my contexts. After allowing other people to read my works, I will read it backwards. After that, reading it out loud for the errors to be easily spotted. Reading your works in hard copy is the best technique. My grandmother, which is a former journalist said to me that most of the errors will be noticed easily if you printed out your articles.
Reply the academic papers
6:01 AM on May 30, 2018 
Nice post because Proofreading is the reading of a galley proof or an electronic copy of a publication to detect and correct production errors of text or art.
dissertation Writing Service
Reply Anonymous
11:03 AM on May 30, 2018 
Nice
Reply Suzanne
11:10 PM on June 3, 2018 
the academic papers says...
Nice post because Proofreading is the reading of a galley proof or an electronic copy of a publication to detect and correct production errors of text or art.
dissertation Writing Service

Proofreading is the last step in the editing process and should be done at least twice, the second time with fresh eyes, and I would say definitely on hard copy.
Reply Help With Matlab Project
4:39 AM on June 13, 2018 
Thanks A Lot For The Post. It Has Helped Me Get Some Nice Ideas. I Hope I Will See Some Really Good Result Soon.
Reply Do My Medical Dissertation Writing Service
5:12 AM on June 13, 2018 
I Personally Like Your Post; You Have Shared Good Insights And Experiences. Keep It Up.
Reply Programming Assignment Help UAE
5:31 AM on June 13, 2018 
This Is Great Information For Students. This Article Is Very Helpful I Really Like This Blog Thanks.
Reply Suzanne
12:41 AM on June 28, 2018 
Anonymous says...
Nice

Thanks.
Reply Suzanne
12:43 AM on June 28, 2018 
Help With Matlab Project says...
Thanks A Lot For The Post. It Has Helped Me Get Some Nice Ideas. I Hope I Will See Some Really Good Result Soon.

Thank you. Good luck with your writing.
Reply Suzanne
12:48 AM on June 28, 2018 
Do My Medical Dissertation Writing Service says...
I Personally Like Your Post; You Have Shared Good Insights And Experiences. Keep It Up.

Thank you. I'm glad you liked the information.
Reply Suzanne
12:50 AM on June 28, 2018 
Programming Assignment Help UAE says...
This Is Great Information For Students. This Article Is Very Helpful I Really Like This Blog Thanks.

Thanks. I'm grateful this article was helpful to you.
Reply Replica Watches
5:45 AM on July 16, 2018 
your blogs gives me a lot of inspiration and will be trying out something like this in my own small area
Reply Maximilian
7:28 AM on July 29, 2018 
When you will probably opt for the bogus people, subsequently recall many people solely appear to be an original people with types even so the interior products utilised in these individuals usually are connected with substandard quality.Students can easily avail finance assignment help from team of experienced finance assignment writer.linkTruly, angels do walk among us.Hey! I'm at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the fantastic work!linkAptoide App is actually an app market for the users to get free apps from it.wall in your hallway?link
Reply http://copycrafter.net/
6:29 PM on October 13, 2018 
Proofreaders play crucial role in producing error-free content, but won’t it be better to hire the professional writers instead? It will eliminate the need of proofreading. Isn’t it?
Reply www.altopdf.com
5:25 PM on November 18, 2018 
Convert PDF into a different file format online with a help of Altopdf.com and see how easily you can do it.
Reply no-draft speak-thru
1:40 PM on June 18, 2019 
CR Laurence has manufactured the best transaction window no-draft speak thru device that is very useful to transmit natural voice and this device is available as bullet proof models and polished with stainless steel.
Reply music paradise pro app
11:39 AM on August 5, 2019 
Download Music Paradise Pro App Apk and Enjoy to download Unlimited Music in your Android phone.
Reply music paradise pro app
11:42 AM on August 5, 2019 
Download Music Paradise Pro App Apk and Enjoy to download Unlimited Music in your Android phone.

Categories

Tradition and Turmoil: An Amish Mystery


Rachel Yost struggles with her faith and her marriage as she solves the murder of her neighbor's teenage son. A new mystery, set in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. A work in progress, watch this space for upcoming news.


/
Lightbox image