From the Problogger ‘How To…’ Group Writing Project, The Golden Pencil offers some tips on how to proofread your own writing:
The fact that you wrote it means you know what it’s supposed to say and that’s exactly what your mind tends to see – what should be there, not what’s really there.
Of course, ideally, you’ll have someone else proof it – they bring a fresh eye and no pre-conceived notions, and hopefully they can spell. In fact, if the writing is for something that really matters, it can make sense to pay a professional proof reader.
The next best bet is to put it away for a day or a week – that way, your eye is much fresher and you’re much more likely to spot errors.
But life doesn’t often give us that much time. When the writing (or the check) has to go out today, take time to read it out loud to yourself.
Sure, you’ll feel really stupid the first few times you do this, but it works. If you’re in cube or other un-private place, whisper it to yourself. Somehow your ear will hear mistakes your eyes wont see.
I worked once with a great proofreader who read everything upside down to overcome the eye’s tendency to correct errors. At that same job, I had a vicious drunk of a boss who could fall down dead drunk, his finger landing unerringly on the ugly typo everyone else had missed.
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