Shouldn’t You Be Proofreading?
They say you can’t edit your own work. However, you can certainly do your best by proofreading it.
As a writer, I make it my business to understand the rules of spelling, grammar, and punctuation. However, I try not to be a stickler about those rules as a reader. I have several friends and family members who are positively intelligent despite the fact that they don’t know the difference between your and you’re.
I know better than to equate intelligence with proper spelling, and I’ve read plenty of material that presented smart points and valid rhetoric even though the writing itself might be considered a crime against the English language. I can’t even imagine what it was like before spell check.
When You Don’t Proofread
One of my favorite blogs is witty and informative; the author’s voice is friendly, and the content is relevant. There’s no doubt the writer knows the material, but I’m constantly snagged by typos and other minor infractions in the language as I peruse the posts.
Let’s face it, nobody’s perfect. Even professional writers have days when the apostrophe lands behind the wrong letter. But the blog I’m talking about is peppered with such errors — in every single post. Clearly, there’s no proofreading going on. I still enjoy it, but every time I cross one of those grammatical speed bumps, I do a double take and it breaks the flow of my reading.
You don’t have to be a grammar master to be a good writer. However, readers will have a hard time making it through your work if you don’t give it the once-over (better yet, give it the thrice-over) and proofread before publishing or submitting, so you can minimize syntax errors.
Proofreading Makes a Difference
That’s why proofreading is one of the most critical steps in the writing process. It’s a shame for an eloquent piece to be discredited because all the ares and ours are mixed up, because subjects and verbs disagree, or commas are used too liberally.
Like many writers, I am frequently possessed by my Inner Editor. When writing a novel, the Inner Editor is loathsome, but she comes in pretty handy during blog writing sessions. I usually proofread each sentence as it’s completed, then each paragraph, and finally give the entire piece two or three reviews to check for any little mistake I might have missed.
Plus, if I learn that I’ve been writing or punctuating something incorrectly, I will go back through my archived posts to dig up all instances and fix the errors. No, I’m not anal. I just know how to use the find and replace shortcuts with unbridled speed and agility.
Be Polished
It’s worthwhile for writers to remind themselves every so often that the value of proofreading should not be underestimated. There are people who will literally click away from your website, close your book and toss it onto the donation pile, or choose not to read or buy a particular publication – just because basic writing rules aren’t being adhered to. I may not be one of those people, but they’re out there. So, to all you writers and bloggers: proof, proof, proofread your work. That’s three times (because then it’s a charm).
Need Professional Proofreading Services?
Proofreading is best done with a second set of eyes. When you hire a professional proofreader, you’re double-ensuring the accuracy of your written work. Here at Writing Forward, I offer proofreading services, as well as editing and professional critiques. Visit the services page to learn more.
What’s your stance? How important is proofreading? Do you find yourself shunning work that contains too many grammar hiccups or do you overlook them, favoring the quality of the content over the mechanical errors in the writing? If your blog was fraught with such errors, would you want to know? How would you feel if another writer brought such mistakes to your attention?
How many times do you proofread your work?
(Please pardon the world’s longest comment here, but this is something I haven’t been able how to write about on my own blog. Therefore, I’m hijacking your thread to get it out of my system.)
Let me preface this by saying that I realize I make mistakes when I blog. I try very hard to catch these errors, but sometimes they slip by me. Because of this, I try not to be too snobby about mistakes in other people’s blog posts; but I have to admit that I’m not so good at it.
If someone makes occasional mistakes, I can let that go . . . we’re all human after all. On the other hand, I get positively irate when I see other so-called writers whose posts are consistently full of errors. My husband, my mother, and my business partner are all probably sick of hearing me break out into occasional rants at the computer. For some reason, I find it personally offensive when “writers” can’t write.
To answer some of your questions, I try to proof my work as I write and then once more before I post. Once it’s up, I proof it again. I seem to be more able to spot errors once it’s in its final format, for some reason. As for wanting to know . . . yes, I would want to know about my mistakes, especially if it was something I did often. I would probably be pretty embarrassed (and would prefer the person did it via email than in the comments), but I’d still want to know.
Finally, I really try to give a lot of leeway on comments, as they’re usually posted a lot faster than actual blog entries, so there’s a lot less opportunity to fix your mistakes. Still, you can often tell if someone simply made a typo or if they just don’t have a very good grasp of the language.
Can I just say YAY! on both your entry, Melissa, and Lorna’s comment. I second everything Lorna just said.
I do proof my entries usually (but not always) and even still errors may get by me. I would LOVE people to let me know if they notice any errors (via email is best) so I can go in and fix it. If it’s a goof I do frequently then please point out resources about those rules so that I can learn the rule. I’m not a grammar buff; I failed English; I’m still learning.
As to the first question of your list, I DO tend to shun work that is riddled with errors. The occasional mistake is forgivable but frequent mistakes and leet speak get on my nerves. No matter how informative or interesting the content, if I have to struggle to read it I won’t bother. I blame my snobbery in that front on my dyslexia. I have enough issues reading, I don’t need to add more by being forced to translate what I’m trying to read.
I agree that it’s an important aspect of our online presence, especially for writers, since much of our online work is portfolio for prospective employers. It’s unforgivable to have anything published online or off that is tragically flawed. However, I reassure myself that small boo boo’s are forgivable because I’m forever finding a few in each published book I read.
Rebecca’s right. I can’t believe how many typos I find in books. It’s amazing sometimes!
I’m sure I make mistakes on my blog and I hope my readers forgive me.
I use to have pristine English skills, but after a nasty bout with domestic violence, surgeries, and illness that lasted several years, I’ve really had to relearn English grammar/punctuation and the whole works. I’m still learning. I’m very humble. I wouldn’t hate anyone who pointed out mistakes to me. Although, I’d pray they’d be nice about it and like Rebecca said, email their tips via email.
I think most things can be forgiven. If we’re writing something that speaks to the readers heart, I feel that is important, too.
Smiles,
Michele
Typos drive me crazy, whether they are my own, or other people’s.
Why is it that I can proofread 8 or 9 times, in preview and out, but not see an error until it’s actually published?
I do my best to get rid of them, because they are speed bumps in the reading. We all know how annoying speed bumps are, and these don’t even serve a useful purpose.