The process of proofreading isn’t simple or straightforward. It is not something that should be accomplished in a hurry. It is essential to keep the process going throughout the whole book process. “I’ll fix that later” is not the best approach in the case of errors since you could miss errors later. Begin by editing the initial draft and approving page proofs, you must understand why they’re called proofs-proofreading is a crucial process to produce a high-quality book or short article of.
Authors must assume responsibility for their job, hiring a skilled proofreader is vital because as writers, we are aware of the words we wrote or intended to write since the words are stored in our heads but we do not be aware of the actual content on the page. We think we are aware of what we write on the paper. Thus, a careful proofread is required as well. Even after hiring a proofreader, the author must do their own proofread of the finished book.
Here are some easy suggestions to make the proofreading process more effective. Note I didn’t say that it’s speedier or easier, as easy and quick will only lead to mistakes that are not caught.
Paper vs. Screen
Before computers the entire process was done on paper. You took the piece of paper from the typewriter, took out your red pen and got to work. Nowadays, editing is simpler on a computer screen. No any more dreaded white-out and attempting to align the page using the keys of a typewriter to type the word without having it appear to be a half line over that sentence. If you’re not sure the meaning of what I’m saying I’ll tell you, your lucky to not be not old enough to know.
Since Word processing makes editing more simple editing can be performed on a computer rather than on paper, however the process of proofreading with paper has its share of loyal users. I personally don’t think that it is important to edit on paper, or the computer, unless you are doing the final printing, when you need to ensure that the book (provided it’s printed on paper and is not an electronic book) is correctly laid out on the paper and that it is a computer-based and mechanical method of printing or laying out pages didn’t cause any problems or mess out in the process.
There are advantages to proofreading on paper when your eyes aren’t capable of handling the stress of a computer monitor for an extended time. On paper, individual letters look sharper as do punctuation marks. However, any corrections you make later have to be uploaded to the computer, which means proofreading on paper can be longer and takes more time.
The screen-based method of proofreading is my personal preference so here are some easy steps to make the process more efficient:
Font. Please let the fancy fonts to book layout folks. There’s no need to have a book written with various fonts or sizes. Pick a simple to read font, and the size Times New Roman 12 font is a standard. The more expensive fonts can blur letters or scripts with letters that are nearly impossible to recognize. The most elegant fonts will create typo problems because they’re hard to read.
Make use of the magnifying glass. It’s not necessarily literal however, unless you’re proofreading paper and instead of reading your manuscript in full view and then increasing it so that it’s filled to 150 to 200% would be ideal. Of of course, you shouldn’t make it to be so huge that you need to move it around however the larger the font is on screen, the less to read and the less likely you’ll detect mistakes.
The Invisibles are on. Invisibles are the spaces that aren’t visible in the webpage. When you press”space bar,” which appears located between each word, your program will create a tiny dot between each word. It will create a tiny symbol for a paragraph when you click “return” to start a new paragraph. Invisibles make a huge amount of difference. I’ve seen books printed where one paragraph appears to be two, because nobody noticed the invisible break in the paragraph that was accidentally added. Many people are known in hitting space bars following periods repeatedly even though it’s only supposed to be hit only once. The invisibles on will eliminate the habit, and will make layout much easier as well as less likely cause problems. Based on the program you use for your computer the invisibles could also be referred to as “hidden text” or “non-print characters.” Check the text processing application’s “Help” and do a search using these terms to learn how to turn off invisible characters. The screen will appear invisible. requires some time to get used to however, without them, the things you cannot see could cause harm to you.
Read slowly and multiple Times
There is nothing more crucial than slowing down. Sure, it’s slightly boring, but having an error-free manuscript is well worth the effort. Here are some strategies to help you improve your writing.
Read your manuscript out loud. I suggest reading your manuscript out loud while editing too. You’ll be amazed by how much you can improve style and tone by reading your writing out loud. You’ll notice subtleties of rhythm that you might not have noticed earlier hearing yourself. I also believe that your brain will be forced to focus more intently on the paper when you read your manuscript out in loud, and this means that you’re more likely to spot mistakes.
Read reversed. There are no mirrors needed. You shouldn’t be switching from reading from left to right. Instead, begin at the beginning of the page and take each line or paragraph in the direction of forward. So, you won’t be lulled into the rhythm of the sentences but will be required to know the contents of each line. It’s a lengthy process, and it’s likely that you won’t be able to stay with it for long, but it’s beneficial because it helps beginners to take their time and pay close attention.
Pay attention to every word and letter. Being attentive to every letter and word is extremely crucial. Many authors depend too heavily on spell-check. Spell-check cannot detect words that are properly written, but in the wrong location. I would like to have one dollar for each time I’ve encountered the words in the left column below replaced by words in the left column:
Brain Brian (I do not know many persons who are named Brain)
Lightening Lightning (there can be an important distinction)
Dairy Diary
Mediate Meditate
When you proofread, words that have multiple vowels two letters that are the same together, such as “occurrence” and “titillate,” or five or more letters must be scrutinized. As we get better at reading and masters of memory, our brain quickly detects words by looking at a few of the letters, with the consequence is that we might not be able to spot a mistaken letter in the word. For instance, you might easily find the word’mean’ even in the event that it is mispronounced.
Proofread multiple times. In the event of not getting the wrong word in after the fourth time reviewing this article I realized the word I wrote was “read pen” instead of “red pen.” That’s enough for now.
Also, always seek another opinion. Proofread your work. It is then given an additional person to proofread. Don’t expect anyone else to be able to perfect it and then judge the task completed. Take a look at the mistakes the other person makes and take the lessons they have learned from the mistakes they make. If you discover that you’re making the same mistake over and over again for example, like entering “dairy” for “diary,” you’ll discover ways to free your habit and look more carefully the every time you perform you own proofreading.
Like everything else is a skill that requires training. If you spend more time and effort commit your time to the subject, the better at it will get. It’s possible that you won’t be in the Proofreading Hall of Fame, however, at the very least, no person will ever think that you cannot be able to write or spell.