I asked 15 writers how to proofread better.
Hey there,
I don't know how many times I've published something—or, worse, sent an email—only to notice a typo or three moments later.
So when I'm writing something important, I'll print it out and go over it with a pen (an orange one, since I never seem to have a red pen around). And turns out I'm not alone. I've been interviewing writers about their favorite ways to proofread, and while everyone has a trick to improve their writing, paper's still popular.
But it's far from the only way. After talking to over 15 writers, the most popular ways to proofread are to:
- Wait, to get a fresh perspective
- Print it out, to read on paper
- Swap fonts and font sizes, to change how the text looks
- Move your text, to see it in another context
- Read your text out loud
- Read over and again, each time looking for something different
- Check your text against a list of rules
- Hire a robot
- Get someone else to read your work.
Here's the full article, with proofreading tips from authors, bloggers, editors, reporters, and more.
They're the tips that, perhaps, will make sure your writing's typo-free the next time you hit Publish.
Got any other favorite ways to spot mistakes in your writing?
Hope you're having a great week!
~Matt & the Reproof team