Secret #11: Have someone, other than yourself, read over your writing
No matter how many times I read over my writing, there is always a mistake to be found when someone else picks up my work. This mistake can be as simple as leaving out a word or typing the word “and” versus “an.” I can read over the same sentence multiple times and never see the error; my brain automatically corrects it. The more you can get people to proofread your writing, the better. It is not always possible to use multiple sources, but try to have at least one other person proofread your writing. We all have busy lives and it is hard to put our limited time towards others reading what we have written; nevertheless, I have produced my best work when I have had other people read over my writing.
1- My friend responded to a text by saying, “I’m glad to here it.” She noticed that she typed “here” instead of “hear” a minute or two later. She forgot to proofread her text before sending it off.
2- I have a few friends that use the word “was,” whenever they speak or text me, whether the subject is singular or plural. It takes all my willpower to not correct them. I know that if I point out their bad grammar, it will make them feel bad, rather than fixing the problem. Such examples include: “They was hanging out together,” and “Beatriz and Julius was going to pick up a few things for the activity.”
3- My friend and I wanted to meet for lunch. “I have a class until 12 Tuesdays and Thursdays, would after that work?” She should have put a period after the word “Thursdays,” instead of a comma.
Nice article. Isn't it amazing how quickly you find sentence errors the moment after a message is sent? And then we all panic. I once heard that if you read your sentence backwards, pausing at each word, the brain catches missed filler words like; as, the, and, etc. And of course, having a second pair of eyes to proof read your stories is the best of all.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you brought up having someone else read your work. I find that having other people read over my writing is incredibly beneficial. When you read your own work over and over, it tends to start sounding the same. When someone new reads it, they are able to view it with fresh eyes and find mistakes or better ways to word certain things. Great tip!
ReplyDeleteHaving someone else read over your work is so critical. At the newspaper, articles go through a minimum of three editors before they are published, and we still miss a surprising number of errors. Those additional edits can make a huge difference, though, and have saved us from a number of embarrassing mishaps.
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