Proofreading

PROOFREADING is the final review stage of a written piece, focused on identifying and correcting sentence-level issues with grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word choice (grammarly.com)

You may have good ideas, amazing plotlines, complex characters and all that, but if you tend to make spelling mistakes and don't proofread before sharing, your work won't be professional. Misspelled or repeating words really influence how pleasant it is to read a story. 

In this post I'll give you some tips on how to proofread in an organized, clear way, without getting stuck in an endless loop of nitpicking.

First thing I have to say is: time is important. Before you get into proofreading, you should take a break from your work. This way you'll break the "writing mode" and notice more things to fix.

For shorter works, like blog posts or articles, a few hours break is more than enough. For anything longer, however, stepping away for a day or two is recommended.

And if deadlines are tight, try to have a 20-minute break at least. Get up, drink coffee, talk to someone, whatever you like. Simply break the task by doing something different. This way, when you go back to proofread, you'll be more efficient.

Now, let's talk about the problem with familiarity. If you KNOW what is written in front of you, your brain will automatically fill in any missing words and subconsciously fix mistakes. So, how do you break the familiarity curse?

One trick is to change the font or background color. Different one is to switch devices. The goal is to make the text look unfamiliar so your brain can’t auto-correct errors. HOW you will do that is up to you.

Another great proofreading tool is reading out loud. If there is any awkward phrasing or repeating words, you'll hear it - or you will feel cringe and know what to change. And if reading aloud isn’t your thing, try a text-to-speech tool (for example: seomagnifier.com/text-to-speech-converter).

As you know, I love organizing stuff and making plans. In proofreading, there's also space for that. Instead of fixing the entirety of your work, you can gradually move through different categories:

• spelling & typos - scan only for misspelled words, missing letters, or accidental repeats

• punctuation – check commas, quotation marks, periods, and dashes

• consistency – character names, tense, formatting, chapter titles

• flow & readability – rhythm, clunky sentences

Let's now look at some typical mistakes writers make. We all have our "blind spots", and being aware of them helps writing well.

• homophones: their/there/they’re, your/you’re, its/it’s

• repetition

• apostrophes: plurals vs. possessives

• filler words: just, really, very, actually, basically 

Keep a checklist of your own recurring slip-ups - you’ll save time in the long run.

As for proofreading tools: there are many, and you can surely use them to do the work for you. However, technology is not perfect and sometimes it can mess things up, so it's highly recommended for a human to look at it. Use tools as a second opinion, not the final judge. 

It's also great to ask someone you trust to proofread your work for you. A trusted critique partner, beta reader, or professional editor can spot errors you’ll never see.

Even if your work is polished, professional, and readable, it's not flawless. Nothing is; perfection doesn't exist. If you’ve done multiple passes, used tools, and maybe had a second set of eyes on it, trust yourself and put a "✓" on it.