Are You Always Proofreading and Editing Other People’s Writing?
Are you proofreading and editing for everyone you know?
If you’re the token writer at your office, among your friends, or in your family, then you are probably asked on a regular basis to edit, review, or proofread written documents.
Academic essays, business letters, and resumes will land on your desk with the word “HELP!” scrawled across the top.
Or, maybe you’re like me, a professional who offers editing services to writers and business people who want their text to be squeaky clean and irresistible to readers.
Most of us are happy to help. After all, it feels good to help people, especially when it involves doing something you love, like writing or proofreading and editing other people’s writing projects. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. So, I thought I’d compile some of the most useful editing tips — the ones I use every day — and share them with you.
Editing Tips
1. Edit On-Screen and Track Changes
Many writers and editors swear by the printed page. But that’s a messy and inefficient way to edit. If you start editing on-screen, you’ll adjust to the new format and soon find it’s much easier than marking up print. Use Microsoft Word’s feature, Track Changes, which does just what you’d expect — it tracks all the changes you make as you edit. Then, you (or the writer for whom you’re proofreading and editing) can go through and review every edit and accept or reject those changes individually or collectively.
2. If You’re Not Sure, Look it Up (and Know What You Don’t Know)
Your greatest wisdom as an editor is knowing what you don’t know. Having resources in your arsenal is one thing. Using them is something else entirely. Don’t be lazy! Remember that every time you look something up, you learn something new and expand your own writing skills. Plus, the more you look things up, the less you’ll need to look them up in the future. Eventually, they become natural for you and part of your own writing process.
3. Keep a Grammar Manual and Style Guide Handy
When you’re proofreading and editing, you need to be meticulous. Don’t cut corners. If you’re not sure about grammar, spelling, punctuation, or context, you need to be able to open up a grammar manual or a style guide, so make sure you have the right resources handy. Be vigilant, be correct, and use good judgment, keeping in mind that sometimes it’s best to bend the rules (but only if you know what the rules are and why you’re breaking them).
4. Run Spell Check and Grammar Check First
Before you do anything, run spell check and use your word processing software’s grammar checking tool (if it has one). Automated checkers don’t catch everything, but they can catch a lot, and that means you’ll have more time and brain energy for manual editing. Also, use the find-and-replace feature, which allows you to quickly find or replace a single error multiple times. For example, many people are still in the habit of using a double space after a period. I always do a find-and-replace to replace all those double spaces with the modern standard — single spaces after every period or terminal punctuation mark.
5. Read Slowly, Backwards, and Out Loud
The most crucial aspect of proofreading and editing is reviewing every single word and examining the written work at the word, sentence, and paragraph levels. Plus, you should be able to assess every document or manuscript in its entirety to check for readability, organization, and flow. This means you’ll have to go over each piece numerous times. To separate yourself from the content so you can better evaluate the writing, read slowly and read out loud. To check spelling, read backwards. You’ll catch a lot of minor mistakes and typos this way.
Bonus Tip: Don’t forget to check titles and subtitles!
6. Listen for Wording and Rhythm
Editing involves more than checking for grammar, spelling, and punctuation (that’s proofreading, folks). When you read the piece out loud, pay attention to the rhythm. Does it flow smoothly? Do the sentences alternate in length or are there a series of really short (or really long) sentences that have a droning rhythm? Break up some of those longer sentences and join some of the smaller sentences together to give the writing better rhythm and more musicality.
7. Note Consistent, Repeated Errors
Do the writer a favor and make notes as you’re proofreading and editing; specifically, note mistakes that are repeated consistently throughout the writing. Repeated mistakes are often a signal that the writer doesn’t know better and it’s likely whomever you’re editing for will appreciate it if you correct them.
8. Readability Comes First, Writer’s Voice is Second
The whole point of editing is to make a piece of writing more readable. That’s why it’s essential you review the piece to make sure it’s easy reading. Additionally, it’s your job as editor to retain the integrity of the writer’s voice (which is a writer’s own unique style). It can be tempting to start rewriting. Avoid that! If you shift from editing into rewriting, the writer’s voice could get lost and replaced with your own or some weird hybrid voice.
9. Pay Attention to Formatting
Formatting is actually separate from editing. This involves things like font size, face, and other formatting options, such as bold or italics. I sometimes offer formatting as an additional service for clients who need proofreading and editing, but whether I’m on the clock for formatting or not, I always pay attention, so at the very least I can nudge the writer with a little feedback like “Check your formatting.” Chapter titles and subheadings, for example, should have the same font. Citations should be formatted the same (and preferably, adhering to a style guide). Just keep an eye out for inconsistencies in this area.
10. Review to Perfection
I like to follow a five-step process for editing:
- Read the entire text
- After running spell/grammar check, edit and proofread for blatant mistakes and awkward wording.
- Second review focuses on wording and readability.
- Third review focuses on proofreading (check for grammar, spelling, punctuation) — this is where I read out loud, slowly.
- Final review and polishing.
I repeat step five until I can’t find anything to improve.
That’s in an ideal world, of course. It would be difficult to review an entire novel countless times (not to mention really, really expensive), and let’s face it, no matter how many times you review a piece of writing, you’re always going to find something that you could make better. Use good judgment and keep going over the piece until you feel it’s as close to perfect as possible.
Good Luck with Your Proofreading and Editing!
If you have any proofreading and editing tips of your own, please share by leaving a comment.
A Messy, Liberating Guide to Journal Writing
I know some writers are diligent about keeping their journals pristine. The pages are crisp, the lines straight and legible, and every word is thoughtfully selected. The theme is consistent — a dream journal, an idea journal, a diary. It’s an orderly affair done up in a tidy fashion. And that works for some people.
But it doesn’t work for me.
If I’m going to be creative — if I’m going to let my creativity flow — then I need to let things get messy. I need to dig my toes in the mud, bury my fingers in the clay, and splash paint across the walls. I can’t be confined by order or logic. I need to write sideways and upside down. I need to doodle. Jot down song lyrics. Make smudges. I need to be free.
And I’m not the only one.
Keri Smith created Wreck This Journal with the same understanding that when we allow ourselves freedom to make a mess, we also free ourselves to be as creative as possible, unchaining hidden ideas that refuse to come out for fear that they’ll be destroyed by our linear and conventional thinking:
By forcing ourselves to wreck it on purpose, the “journal as an object” loses it’s preciousness, and allows us the feeling of completion.
Wreck This Journal is a great way to get your creativity out of the box. As you work your way through the journal, you actually wreck it. You’ll cut, tear, and generally thrash this book (you’ll even be asked to tie it to a string and drag it around on the ground). You start letting go of constraints, allowing yourself to make mistakes, create poorly crafted prose, or senseless art (because you’re going to wreck it), and this gives your creativity the courage it needs to take risks.
Getting Creative with Journal Writing
I haven’t wrecked my own journal (yet), but I don’t play by a set of rules either. I started journaling many years ago and I’ve tried every which way: keeping separate journals and notebooks for different purposes, tracking my life’s events, daily journal writing. I had a dream journal and an art journal. A gratitude journal. None of these stand-alone methods worked for me.
But I didn’t give up. In time, my journal writing became a mish-mash of ideas and themes that lived together on the pages of a single journal. My writing and creativity blossomed. Encouraged by my creative writing instructors, I wrote in circles, used large cursive and teeny tiny print. I sketched in the margins, sometimes on full pages. Anarchy ensued as I became increasingly experimental and let go of my overly tidy journal writing habits.
My journal has become a sacred space for disorder. I know that when I open it, anything goes. I can create with total abandon. And I do.
25 Ways to Journal
I’m not going to ask you to wreck your journal, but if you think it might open your creative floodgates, I say go for it. When we want to be more creative, we have to be willing to try anything. What I am going to do is give you a list of ways that you can use your journal. You’ll find that if you open your journal to more possibilities for material, media, and subject matter, you’ll start to build interesting connections. And that is one sure path to better writing!
Since Writing Forward’s inception, many readers have left comments sharing brilliant ways that they use their journals. Here are some of the ideas they’ve shared mixed in with some of my own:
- Forget about lines. Turn your journal sideways or upside down. Write in the margins or on the spine. Write in a spiral. Draw a shape and fill it with words. This was one of the first creativity techniques I ever used and it really got the ball rolling.
- Reader zz, who blogs at Eek.Eke knows a thing or two about wrecking journals: “When I’m feeling particularly uninspired I like to journal melodramatically – it makes me laugh and keeps me going. Otherwise I like to make paper mache bowls out of pages of my worst writing – something about ripping the pages into tiny little pieces is very freeing…”
- Ever come across mind-blowing imagery in a magazine or online? Print it out, cut it out, and paste in in your journal for inspiration.
- Reader Gaya commented to share how she uses an art journal. She includes pictures with funny captions and keeps a record of the galleries she attends. You too can write crazy captions for the images you paste (or draw) in your journal.
- Write with colored pens, crayons, or Sharpies.
- Paulo Campos commented about how he uses his journal: “A habit I learned while reading about Virginia Woolf: she regularly copied passages she liked from books she was reading into notebooks.” Brad Vertrees also keeps a reading journal where he write his thoughts about the current book he’s reading. And Deb keeps a log of books she’s read in her journal.
- Write down words. Not sentences — just words — words you like, words that evoke intense emotions or strong imagery or words that simply resonate. Randomly fill the blank spaces in your journal with these words. Write them big, write them small, and write them in all different colors!
- Make lists of names and places (make up some place names!). List foods, song titles, and sensations. List nouns or list adjectives. Or simply list random, short thoughts that pop into your head.
- When Wendi Kelly wakes up with a song stuck in her head, she asks the song, “What do you want?” If you get a song stuck in your head, jot down some of the lyrics and then keep writing to find out what message the song is sending you.
- Doodle, doodle, doodle, and draw. Or try writing and sketching in your journal with chalk or charcoal. See what happens when you smudge and smear your words. Maybe you’ll make some pictures or abstract art!
- Use stream of consciousness, also known as freewriting. Rebecca Reid shared her experience: “I kept a journal for about 10 years: it was combination train of thought and ‘diary’ of my day. I think a train of thought journal would be nice now too.”
- Dreams are a popular source of inspiration, and ideal for journal writing. You can get story ideas, imagery, and bizarre notions from your night visions. Write down your most interesting dreams in your journals. When I mentioned dream journals in another post, Trisha from Marketing Journeys responded, “Journaling my dreams has been on my list for quite a while – you’ve given me a jumpstart and the inspiration to get going!”
- Use journal writing to engage in dialogue with people who are inaccessible. Write letters or short notes to people you’ve lost touch with, people you’ve broken up with, and people who have passed away. Chat with your characters. Converse with your heroes (dead or alive).
- Deep Friar told us that his mom (who is very wise) suggested a “Happy Compartment” journal: “When something nice happens, you put it in your ‘Happy Compartment.’ Then, whenever you feel bad, you just open up your Happy Compartment, and relive the happy time and make yourself feel better.”
- Monika Mundell mentioned in a comment that she keeps gratitude and travel journals. She added, “Come to think about it though, I do have a lovely creative journal from years ago. I used to draw, stick pictures in there and sketch. Loved that thing.”
All-Purpose Journal Writers
As I searched through the comments across this site to find out what readers had shared about their journal writing habits, I discovered that lots of writers already use all-purpose journal writing creatively and freely:
Cheryl Wright keeps “an all inclusive journal where I record idle and focused thoughts, ramblings about my life issues and life in general and everything else for that matter.”
And Karen Swim has journals “for life, writing, dreams, ideas, notes, and prayers.” She mentioned all of these journals more than once while visiting Writing Forward!
T. Sterling Watson kept a journal that “contained funny quotes I overheard, random ideas for future poems or scripts, doodles, and general thoughts.”
Michele Tune, who writes the cyber highway, commented, “I draw, write poetry, document the day’s events, or whatever I feel like putting on paper. I’ve written in pretty journals, on scratches of paper that I’ve tucked into journals…”
Milena uses her journal to “paste images, cartoons, photos, write stuff, even jot down grocery lists (these can be interesting to come back to sometimes), impressions of any sort or anything that comes to mind and which I fear forgetting.”
That’s what I’m talking about!
Of journal writing, Amy Derby once commented, “Those paper journals of mine are priceless.”
Treasure your journals! Let them them get wrecked up and messed up.
And keep on writing.
Do you have any fun, unusual, messy, or liberating journal writing tips to share? Interested in trying any of the ones listed here? Share your thoughts and ideas by leaving a comment.
Journal Writing Resources:
Wreck This Journal
What Should I Write in My Journal?
Seven Different Types of Journal Writing
Sunshine-Inspired Writing Prompts
Writing prompts for a sunny day
Nothing inspires like a sunny day. When the sun is out in full force, people are happier and more relaxed. And for good reason. Fresh air and sunshine are proven to be packed with health benefits.
But sunny days are also just good, plain fun. We fire up our barbecues, wiggle into our swimsuits, peruse our summer reading lists. Okay, maybe only us bookworms peruse the reading lists. But just about everyone appreciates a good dose of natural warmth courtesy of the sun.
If it’s not sunny where you are, then stay inside and play make-believe. If the sun’s out wherever you are, then grab your journal and take your writing session outdoors. Just choose whichever writing prompts inspire you the most, and start writing.
Writing Prompts
There are no rules for these writing prompts. You can make a poem, draft a story, or jot down an entry in your journal.
- It’s been a hot, easy day. The first whispers of dusk are seeping into the sky. Bird calls can be heard in the distance. A car rolls up the drive and it’s none other than…
- The sunny side of the year is a popular time for vacationing. Some folks go to the lake or the seaside while others hit theme parks. Where’s the best place to soak up the sun?
- Almost everybody loves a sunny day, but there are probably a few people who prefer rainy, overcast days. Who are those people, and what do they have against the sun?
- You have one sunny day and an unlimited budget to host an outdoor extravaganza. It can be any kind of soiree you want and you can invite as many (or as few) guests as you’d like.
- A day can start out cold, gray, and damp but then bloom into a warm, blue afternoon. On days like that, sunshine is like a gift. We appreciate it a little more because it contrasts with the dismal morning hours. Is good weather worthy of appreciation? Who takes it for granted?
Which prompt did you choose? Did it spark a good writing session? Do you have any writing prompts of your own to share? Leave a comment!
21 Do-it-Yourself Proofreading and Editing Tips
Proofreading and editing tips for do-it-yourselfers
The human mind is a funny thing; it likes to play tricks on us.
For example, when we proofread and edit our own writing, we tend to read it as we think it should be, which means we misread our own typos and other spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes as well as problems with word choice and sentence structure, context, and overall readability.
If you have a friend or family member who has good grammar skills, maybe they can help you out by proofreading and editing your work before you send it out or publish it.
For special submissions and publications, hiring a professional proofreader or editor is the best way to make sure your writing is free of errors.
But for most of us, it’s not likely that anyone’s going to proofread and edit every single piece of writing that we create. That’s especially true for writers who put out a lot of material – like bloggers, copywriters, and freelancers. Proofreading and editing services can get expensive and friends and family probably don’t want to spend all their evenings checking your work.
Proofreading and Editing Tips for Do-It-Yourselfers
Sometimes, the only option available is to do it yourself. Here are 21 proofreading and editing tips that you can put into practice for proofreading your own work.
- Proofread and edit every single piece of writing before it is seen by another set of eyes. No exceptions. Even if you do hire a professional editor or proofreader, check your work first.
- Understand the difference between proofreading and editing. Edit first by making revisions. When the piece is done, proofread to check for proper grammar.
- Use the “track changes” feature in Microsoft Word when you edit. This feature essentially saves your edits and marks up your document so you can go back and revert to different revisions.
- Step away from a piece of writing before you proofread it. The longer the piece, the longer you should wait to proofread it. Let a novel sit for six weeks. Let a blog post sit overnight.
- Before proofreading and editing, run spelling and grammar check. Then, run it again after you’re done polishing to check for any lingering typos.
- Read your work aloud. Pronounce each word slowly and clearly as you read and check for mistakes.
- Proofreading should never be a rush job. Do it s l o w l y.
- Don’t just review your work once and then send it out into the world. I recommend editing until the piece reads smoothly and proofreading everything three times or more.
- At the very least, proofread until you don’t catch any more errors.
- Read the piece backward so you can see each word separately and out of context.
- Look up the spelling of proper names, scientific, and technical terms that you’re not familiar with to make sure you’re spelling them correctly.
- Don’t make any assumptions. If you’re not sure about something, then look it up so you can fix a mistake if there is one, and learn the correct way.
- Don’t forget to proofread titles, headlines, and footnotes.
- Pay attention to the mistakes you’ve made in your writing. You’ll find you tend to make the sames ones repeatedly. Keep track of these and work on avoiding them during the initial writing process in the future.
- Choose one of the many style guides and stick with it. This will make your work more consistent, and you’ll have a great resource to use when you have questions about style and formatting.
- Start building a collection of grammar books and writing resources so when you do run into questions (and you will), you have access to reliable and credible answers.
- If you let grammatical mistakes slip through, do so by choice and have a good reason. It’s okay to break the rules if you know why you’re breaking them.
- Pat attention to formatting. Use the same formatting on all paragraphs, headings, and other typographical stylings. Learn how to use these features in your word processing software.
- Proofread when you’re fresh and wide awake. Proofreading doesn’t go over well when you’re tired or distracted.
- Proofreading and editing can be tedious so break up your revision sessions by doing other tasks that help you clear your mind: exercise, play with the pets or kids, go for a short walk, or listen to some music. Try to avoid reading or writing on these breaks.
- Make it your business to develop good grammar skills. Read up on grammar or subscribe to a blog that publishes grammar posts (like this one) to stay up to date on proper grammar.
Some people love the proofreading and editing process. Others despise it. If you’re into grammar, the mechanics of writing, and polishing your work, then proofreading and editing will be easier and more enjoyable for you. If not, just look at it as part of your job – something that goes along with being a writer.
And once you’re done proofreading and editing, make sure you get back to your writing.
Got any proofreading and editing tips to share? Leave a comment!
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