Improve Your Writing: Proofread, Edit, Repeat
March 20, 2008 · Written by Melissa Donovan
photo credit: openDemocracy
When I presented the five essential ways to improve your writing, number one on the list was do it daily; write, that is. Proofread, edit, and repeat is a close second, and it’s a habit I think many writers, particularly those who ply their trade online, either never acquire, or develop the hard way.
Typos
Nobody likes typos. They look like misspellings, only it’s usually obvious they are mere oversights, the result of tapping the wrong key. It happens a lot when writers rush and it happens a lot less when writers proof their work before considering it finished. Most writers are going to miss a typo every now and then. Nobody’s perfect. However, when you read a writer’s work regularly and typos are just something you expect every time, that’s a sign of poor or nonexistent proofreading.
Reading Out Loud
One of the best ways to edit and proof your work is to read it out loud. If you enunciate every word, you’ll be better able to catch mistakes. It’s common for writers to leave words out while composing a first draft. During a review, the mind automatically inserts the word because the writer knows it’s supposed to be there. Reading out loud will help catch missing words. Oft-repeated words often stand out while reading aloud as well. It’s also helpful for determining if a piece lacks clarity or if phrasing doesn’t sound quite right. It’s your chance to make sure everything makes sense and that the language flows smoothly.
Making Excuses and Learning the Hard Way
Young and new writers often have issues with editing. I don’t want to change the original, they’ll claim. That’s like a furniture maker not bothering to sand a table. If you’re truly attached to that first draft, then just save a copy, but don’t get so sentimental that you go and submit or publish it with all its errors.
Have you noticed that proofreading is pretty loose on the blogosphere? A lot of bloggers insist they are not writers, a claim I find silly and bordering on ludicrous. Maybe denying being a writer is an excuse for putting out work that’s less than stellar. Bloggers and other writers might learn the hard way that proofreading is beneficial. Eventually, information and great ideas won’t be enough for those bloggers to succeed. The competition for online readers gets stiffer every day and you can bet that it won’t be long before a successful blog will absolutely have to have the whole package - great ideas, useful information or high entertianment, and solid, quality writing.
How Many Times?
I’ve been teased for being so enthusiastic about proofreading and editing. Yet if I want to produce great work, shouldn’t I keep reviewing until I don’t catch a single error or need to make any more changes? Sometimes I reread a piece once and everything’s fine. Other times, I go over it five times, maybe ten. It also depends on the piece and where it’s going. It may depend on how much I’m being paid. But I edit just about everything I write and usually more than once.
Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself
Even though editing and proofreading is important, it isn’t everything. Mistakes slip through now and then and you shouldn’t beat yourself over the head about it. Great writing will always outshine the occasional minor infraction.
Get in the Habit
When I was much younger, I never proofread anything. I could whip up a term paper or report and get an A, mostly because I had a natural talent for writing that many of my classmates lacked. This, of course, was the result of reading like a fiend throughout my childhood, but as I grew older, my writing was less and less able to stand up to the work my peers were producing and I quickly realized that editing was the key to bringing my writing up several notches.
Since then, editing has become a step in the writing process that I enjoy quite a lot. Every time I fix a mistake, I feel good about it, knowing I just made my writing a little better and a lot easier to read. That’s another thing — editing is considerate to readers. Typos, misspellings, and poorly placed punctuation throws a reader off and jars them from the flow of a piece. So don’t skip the revision process: proof, edit, and repeat. Then, if necessary, do it again!
Do you have any proofreading or editing tips to share? Leave a comment!
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Editing is vital. And proofreading? Don’t get me started. It’s bad enough when there are errors in normal posts, or what have you, but when they’re on billboards or covers of books, it drives me bonkers. I have a book at home that has the word “Learned” misspelled on the spine of the book–argh!
Of course, my keyboard at home regularly decides to stick on certain keys, so I end up with more typos than I’m happy with, if I don’t notice that the “d” is missing until later…. Stupid laptop! Still, the backspace key is my best friend.
I type on an iphone a lot. Typos, words changing to other words, lots of fun. I’m guilty of rarely proofreading stuff like comments, blog posts. Client work I proofread to death. Otherwise, I’m lazy!
I am always paranoid that I am going to make a mistake. I look at everything over and over until my eyes cross. I hate it when things still get through. Part of my cubicle job was a proofreader and I didn’t like it so much. Lots of pressure!
Now it’s a habit I can’t stop even if I wanted to!
@Deb, Typos on the signs around an office I where used to work drove me crazy! They were fully printed signs, very professional, save for the constant use of apostrophe-s on every plural word. Grr!
@Amy, That’s why the “Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself” section. How much we proof is pretty subjective, and depends on each writer’s goals and purposes. I never notice typos on your blog by the way.
@Wendi, It definitely becomes habit! I go back and forth between being paranoid and nonchalant about typos and minor errors.
The read out loud thing is imperative for me. I do fine with punctuation, spelling, grammar and typos, but I can’t seem to stop leaving words out.
Great advice!
Proofreading is something I’ve been struggling with for a while. I would love to have another pair of eyes reviewing my drafts, but no one wants to do it 3 times a week.
So I’m forced to do the proofreading myself. I write a draft, walk away for a few hours, come back to it, read it over, edit it, walk away again, etc. A good night sleep also helps me detect errors.
But there comes a time when obsessing over a draft gets to me. I wish I’m confident enough with my writing so I don’t have to constantly fuss over the grammar or structure. I suppose practice makes perfect. Or to borrow from my golf instructor: “Perfect practice makes perfect”.
@Bob, Reading out loud is how I catch a lot of left out words too!
@Rudy, I think all of us writers wish for a second pair of eyes to proof everything. It’s so hard to catch your own mistakes! Leaving a piece for a few hours and especially overnight is a really great approach. I should have mentioned that in the post! Like you, obsessing over it gets to me. That’s why I try not to be too hard on myself. Learning is an ongoing process and so is practicing
Yes, yes, yes!!!
Another great article! I read somewhere that in order to become successful as a blogger you need to be relentless, and even when the times are tough and everything is not moving forward, you still need to remain positive…but I think in additional to having a bulldog mentality and a motto of never say die, a blogger or a writer shopuld seriously consider quality control- what you said here are more than great tips, these are life-savers!
@Jed, Never say die! It took me a long time to understand the importance of sticking with something. It’s easy for us creative types to get caught up in the sea of ideas and drift randomly from one project to the next, never seeing anything through to completion or abandoning projects that were once our most beloved endeavor. To me the bulldog mentality means remaining committed to something no matter what. Thank you!
Hi, Melissa!
I’m so happy to chance upon your blog; it’s a hearty meal kind of reading on my favourite topics: how to improve your writing; how to brainstorm ideas etc. I thought I missed a hell lot of great stuff all this while. No regrets, I’ll catch up. It shows your breadth of expertise - as the length and meat in your posts.
I’ve no formal trianing in english writing, but I had a great deal of passion for reading & writing, though.
I’m scared of punctuation and I thought I’ll never learn it. But to my horror and delight, it’s coming… yet slowly. May be in greater detail, I feel, through reading your blog and several other greats’! Thanks for your wonderful tips and sharing!
Hi Solomon, Punctuation can definitely be scary, but with patience, it can be learned. In fact, I think most writers continue to learn about grammar throughout their lives. Thanks so much for your kind words and if you ever have any special topics you’d like to see discussed here, just say the word!
1. Read the text aloud.
2. Print your text and read it off screen.
3. When in doubt, look it up!
I, too, am unnerved by the rampant slaughter of the English language - I see my all time favorite “seperate” - at least once a day.
@Carol, I personally don’t print everything I proof. I don’t own a printer though I do have access to one. “Seperate” is one of those commonly misspelled words that seems to permeate written materials.
Thank you. I’ll place the query here with you. How do I improve my punctuation (to the next level) better and faster? Can you pls. help?
Just spell some blogs to read and books I can purchase.
Solomon, check out the blog “Daily Writing Tips.” Also, make sure you have the proper writer’s resources like The Chicago Manual of Style. Another one that might be useful but keep in mind that it’s written for British English is Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.
The best way to master punctuation is to be aware of what you don’t know and take the time to look it up. Also, make it a point to learn the difference between punctuation usage in terms of proper grammar versus style.