How to Proofread: Techniques: An Indie Author's Guide, #3

By Sandie Giles

How to Proofread: Techniques is the third in a series of updates to the original How to Proofread Your Own Writing. The new format takes the form of four mini, indie author guides, each covering a specific area of proofreading.

This book, updated to encompass the changes in technology since the original volume, will guide you through the different methods you can use to find errors in your text, with suggested exercises for trying them out.

Read How to Proofread: Techniques now and learn how to tailor your proofreading process to your own skills and abilities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sandie Giles
• Release date: May 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524275983

Book preview

HOW TO PROOFREAD

Techniques

An Indie Author’s Guide

Copyright © 2016 Sandie Giles

All rights reserved.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

How to Proofread: Techniques is one of a series of updates to the original How to Proofread Your Own Writing. The new format takes the form of four shorter, indie author guides, each covering a specific area of proofreading your own writing.

This book, updated to encompass some changes in technology since the original volume, will guide you through the basic techniques of proofreading. You will learn how to proofread using the functions in-built into your word processing software, how to use new eReader capabilities to aid you, and how to get back to the basics with pen and paper. Where appropriate, short exercises are included so that you can test out the techniques for yourself.

Everyone is different. Some techniques that work for others, won’t work for you (and vice versa). How to Proofread: Techniques will help you find the best way for you to do your own proofreading

As with the original How to Proofread Your Own Writing, in order to show you what is (and isn’t!) possible when proofreading for yourself, this book has been proofread only by me.

What is Proofreading?

PROOFREADING YOUR OWN TEXT

The thing you need to know before you start working on your manuscript is that proofreading is an extremely difficult task to undertake. It would be for any piece of text, but when it’s your own writing, it is even more difficult. I know that’s not what most people want to hear, but it’s true. Don’t forget that proofreading is a profession in its own right. People study to become proofreaders. They take exams. With proofreading, things are either right or wrong.

Do you enjoy following rules? Do you like grammar? Do you care what a semi-colon is? If not, should you go any further?

Okay, so let’s assume your answers to the first three of those questions is a definitive, Yes. What else do you need to be a proofreader?

Time. Lots of it. Proofreading isn’t something that can be carried out by a quick read-through of your book. You won’t see more than a tiny percentage of your errors that way. If you want to do a good job, you need to put the effort into performing the task correctly. It is a time-consuming and painstaking process that requires absolute concentration. You need a lot of patience. You have to be meticulous in your work.

Do you have the time? Are you a stickler for detail? Can you concentrate on something for more than five minutes? Do you possess the virtue of patience? Still with me? Well, that’s not all.

Proofreading is not necessarily an enjoyable task. It takes a certain kind of mind to focus on the minutiae and that isn’t necessarily the same kind of mind that likes to be creative. They are the opposite sides of the coin. They employ different skills. I know these days they say there’s no such thing as right-brained and left-brained people (as in, the sides don’t actually define creativity), but let’s assume that there are. Are you so creatively oriented that all you do every waking minute is dream of stories? Or are you so analytical that you cannot pass a spreadsheet without analysing it? Are you somewhere in the middle?

You probably need to be somewhere in the middle to tackle writing your book and proofreading it.

Still want to tackle the task yourself? Not that I’m trying to put you off, but that’s still not all.

I’ve already mentioned that proofreading your own words is a lot more difficult than proofreading someone else’s text, but let’s concentrate on that