Proofreading

Do you proofread your work? Here are some hints to help you with it.

After you’ve finished writing the book and editing it, probably several times. it’s the time to proofread. You might use your computer's technology, spell check, grammar check, etc. But don’t take their suggestions as always correct. They can assist you, but when you’ve gone through your book with spell and grammar check you still need to go through that book and proofread it yourself.

Here are seven tips for Proofreading.

- Do it last.

- When you finish writing and editing put that book away for at least a week, maybe longer, so you have a little distance from it and you can read it with fresh eyes.

- Read it from a different perspective. Some people say print it out and read it that way. Others feel it’s a waste of paper, so prefer to proofread on a tablet or e-reader, an alternative to what they used to write it. Anything that changes the format from how you wrote it, even a font change or maybe change the print color.

- Read it out loud.

- Focus on one or two issues at a time on each proofread, such as spelling and punctuation, or dialogue and overused words.

- Proofread when you’re alert and fresh. Do it in short time periods, for maybe twenty or thirty minutes. Then take a break. Do something different. Get some fresh air. Then go back for another short period. It prevents mistakes and those eyes from getting blurry.

- A proofreading checklist can help as you go through the book.