Proofreading Tips

Last Saturday, we saw a little joke about typographical errors that bedevil all writers. Of course, the way we find those typos is to proofread our work. This should take place separately from a rereading for editing or rewriting purposes. Theoretically, proofreading should be the last action taken before a manuscript is sent out. Personally, I do it first because proofreading is compulsive for me. I can't read anything without seeing most of the errors in punctuation, spelling, and capitalization. With the advent of automatic spell checkers, especially the comprehensive system offered in MS Word, it seems easier to me to run that program first on the copy. It isn't fool proof, however. You still need to eyeball the words to make certain you haven't used your where you meant to write you're (or vice versa). Some people can comfortably read copy online, but I like to print it out if the whole amount exceeds ten pages. Double-spaced, of course, and for me, in a 14-point font. If you're working with a book-length manuscript, I suggest working on one chapter at a time. I've seen advocates for "reading" from the ends of sentences to their beginnings as a way to catch more mistakes. For some history and a poem about typographical errors, see Eric Shackle's page on the printer's devil.