More Effective Proofreading by Ally Broadfield

Once you finish writing a manuscript, what do you do? Edit until it shines, of course, but before you submit it to an agent or editor or self-publish it, don’t forget the final step: Proofreading. 

Consider the following paragraph: 

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. 

While this likely did not originate at Cambridge University and doesn’t hold true in all circumstances, it does illustrate the point that it’s easy to skim over spelling and typographical errors without noticing them, especially when you’re reading words you’ve painstakingly written and edited countless times. 

Whether you’re polishing your manuscript for a contest, preparing to submit to an agent or editor, or planning to self-publish, knowing how to effectively proofread your work is an essential skill. Remember — you never get a second chance to make a first impression. 

Many people think proofreading and editing are the same thing, but in reality, they are very different. Think of editing as a cake, and proofreading as the icing on the cake. You spend a lot of time making that cake, greasing and flouring the pan, painstakingly measuring and mixing the ingredients, baking it for just the right amount of time, carefully removing it from the pan and cooling it on a wire rack. You’ve created a fabulous cake, but who’s going to want to eat it if you don’t put icing on the cake? Proofreading is the icing on the cake, the final stage of the editing process. It is limited to mechanical correctness and focuses on grammar, spelling, punctuation, typos, and syntax. 

Before you proofread, edit. You can’t frost the cake before it’s baked, can you? Your manuscript should be fully edited prior to proofreading. You’re probably thinking that by the time you finish editing, you will have caught all the proofreading errors. You probably did catch a few typos, but because you weren’t proofreading, you didn’t catch everything. Why? Because proofreading and editing require two different conceptual processes. Editing involves analyzing and reorganizing information into effectively expressed ideas. Proofreading requires separating the components of language from any meaning so the brain doesn’t allow you to see what you want to see rather than what is actually there on the page.  

Tips for More Effective Proofreading 

1.      Practice

Have you ever been in the middle of reading a blog or online news article when you notice a typo, a missing apostrophe, a sentence you would have written differently? Practicing your proofreading skills on other people’s work is a great way to improve your skills. It’s a fun, active way to become more conscious of the process. 

2.      Get Some Distance

If you have the time, let your finished work sit for a while. In his book On Writing, author Stephen King recommends a minimum of two to three weeks. Looking at it from a fresh perspective will make a huge difference in your ability to catch errors. 

3.      Get a Different Perspective

Printing out your work will often help you get the different perspective you need to catch errors, but if you’re working on a long manuscript, it’s a tremendous waste of resources. Oftentimes changing the font style, size, and/or color will help you get a different perspective. Also try reading it on your ereader, netbook, phone, or other device that will make it look different than it did on your computer.  Anything that changes the way it looks will help you see it from a new perspective.  

4.      Read It Out Loud

If I could only share one tip with you, this would be the one. Reading your work out loud forces you to focus on what’s actually written on the page instead of skimming over it like you do when you read in your head. It will help you detect errors in punctuation, syntax, rhythm, flow, and a myriad of other issues. Hearing your work read out loud without having the written words in front of you can also be helpful. Record yourself reading aloud, or try using the read aloud function on your computer or ereader.  

5.      Know What You Don’t Know

Look at proofreading as a learning experience. When you proofread, you’re not just looking for errors you recognize. You also need to learn to identify errors you didn’t know you were making. If something looks or sounds wrong, look it up. If you’re not sure about something, look it up.  

The tips in this article come from a lesson in my workshop, Tips and Techniques for More Effective Proofreading.

 

Ally Broadfield is a grammar geek and freelance proofreader. She writes young adult/middle grade fantasy and historical romance set in Regency England and Imperial Russia. You can find her here:  

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK  TWITTER  

 

I hope you will join my class on

Tips and Techniques for More Effective Proofreading

Hosted by

Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers

This 4 WEEK class starts January 14, 2013

For more information click HERE

Behind the Scenes: An Editor in Action by Mary Hughes

Editor Christa Desir

What does an editor bring to the storytelling process? I’m thrilled to share a few insights from an actual first-pass edit made by brilliant editor Christa Desir on my latest vampire romance, Biting Oz. These samples are by no means all an editor can do to make your story shine, but hopefully they will shed some light on just how vital the editor’s role is. 

This simple change ramps the sentence from basic showing to yikes! Heroine and pit musician Junior is late getting to the theater and is about to miss the downbeat. 

“Overture, please.” Up front the pit director called the musicians to attention.

Before: I forked fingers into my hair, forgetting my scalp-tight braid, and nearly tore out hair.

After: I forked fingers into my hair, forgetting my scalp-tight braid, and nearly tore out a chunk. 

Here, a strategic pruning makes for maximum emotional impact. At the sausage store heroine Junior is overrun by customers. Hero Glynn sees this and acts. 

Before: Glynn saw my dilemma. Brilliant guy that he was, he glided to the door and did his vampire compulsion thing. “Inside, please. Form the line here.”

I loved him a little more in that moment.

He shepherded them all in and shut the door, then nudged the line to wind through the aisles. Oh wonderful man. Vampire. Whatever. I didn’t think I could love him any more.

Until he got behind the counter and started bagging.

Keeper. 

{Editor’s comment attached to second highlighted sentence: So you need to either drop this one or the earlier one bc it feels redundant.} 

 

After: Glynn saw my dilemma. Brilliant guy that he was, he glided to the door and did his vampire compulsion thing. “Inside, please. Form the line here.”

He shepherded them all in and shut the door, then nudged the line to wind through the aisles. Oh wonderful man. Vampire. Whatever. I didn’t think I could love him any more.

Until he got behind the counter and started bagging.

Author Mary Hughes at work

Keeper.

Am I the only writer who gets so myopic with plot nuances that characterizations suffer? Here’s an example of inadequate scene conflict coupled with character motivation issues. Heroine Junior goes to villain Camille’s bar to ask Camille to return hero Glynn’s mementos of home. On the way Junior aimlessly explores the bar (because I needed the descriptions established for a later, more action-packed scene where detailed descriptions would have been awkward). Camille says no and Junior makes a rude gesture and leaves.  

{Editor’s comment: This whole previous scene doesn’t really work to me. [Junior] goes and asks for the knickknacks and Camille won’t tell her so she leaves? I think at the very least, you need her snooping around, trying to hunt around the place to see if Camille hid them somewhere. Which will also give you the excuse you need to stumble on all the rooms instead of Junior just being nosy. Then Camille can find her and they can have that conversation. Then, I think Camille needs to throw her out (w/ help of bodyguards) so we feel like she at least tried. As it stands, she has accomplished nothing and it seems silly for her to have even gone.} 

Solving two problems with one stroke—sheer genius. Naturally I rewrote the scene. 

Best of all, an editor will tell you what works well, so that you can build on your strengths. At the end of Biting Oz’s first chapter, blue-eyed friend Julian (husband to friend Nixie) is warning heroine Junior not to go out for drinks with hero Glynn and young stage star Mishela.

“Junior, the thing is, Mishela and Glynn aren’t like you and Rocky.”
[Julian] was warning me off, just like Nixie…no, not just like Nixie, because of Nixie. The bricky titch had pulled a Business Maneuver #5—siccing a well-meaning relation on me. [ …] “Not like us? Are they brain-sucking zombies? Space aliens?” I gasped. “Mimes?”
"No, of course not.” He looked away. “Not exactly.”
“Then what? Exactly.”
“Well, I…” Frustration shaded his features. “I can’t say.” His eyes returned to mine and they were an eerie shade of violet. “But be very careful.”
That shook me. Smiling to cover it, I latched onto Rocky’s arm and pulled her out the door. He watched me with those strange violet eyes the whole way.{Editor’s comment: Outstanding chapter one!!!}

Real vampires do musicals.

Biting Oz (Biting Love Book 5) 

Gunter Marie “Junior” Stieg is stuck selling sausage for her folks in small-town Meiers Corners. Until one day she’s offered a way out—the chance to play pit orchestra for a musical headed for Broadway: Oz, Wonderful Oz. 

But someone is threatening the show’s young star. To save the production, Junior must join forces with the star’s dark, secretive bodyguard, whose sapphire eyes and lyrical Welsh accent thrill her. And whose hard, muscular body sets fire to her passions. 

Fierce as a warrior, enigmatic as a druid, Glynn Rhys-Jenkins has searched eight hundred years for a home. Junior’s get-out-of-Dodge attitude burns him, but everything else about her inflames him, from her petite body and sharp mind to what she can do with her hip-length braid. 

Then a sensuous, insidious evil threatens not only the show, but the very foundations of Meiers Corners. To fight it, Junior and Glynn must face the truth about themselves—and the true meaning of love and home. 

Warning: Cue the music, click your heels together, make a wish and get ready for one steamy vampire romance. Contains biting, multiple climaxes, embarrassing innuendos, ka-click/ka-ching violence, sausage wars and—shudder—pistachio fluff. 

More about the Author:

Mary Hughes is a computer consultant, professional musician, and award-winning author. She has a wonderful husband (though happily-ever-after takes a lot of hard work) and two great kids. But she thinks that with all the advances in modern medicine, childbirth should be a lot less messy. Visit Mary at http://MaryHughesBooks.com. 

More About the Editor:

Christa Desir is not only a spectacular editor, she is also also the author of intense young adult novels. Her powerful story Trainwreck is coming from SimonPulse. Visit Christa at http://ChristaDesir.com