Let’s say that you’ve finished typing the last word in a creative writing project. You’re puffed up with so much elation that you just can’t wait to post the work online. Not so fast there, Sparky. Before you share your magnum opus with the world, you’ve got one more important step to take.
There’s no piece of writing in the universe that couldn’t benefit with one more run-through, a final round of proofreading. That goes for every writer, from small time bloggers to Pulitzer Prize winners. As sports announcers say, “I don’t care who you are.”
Unless you’ve reached the point in your career at which proofreading is second nature, you may be uncertain as to how to approach the task. Fortunately, Richard Nordquist has offered a handy
proofreading guide on his eminently useful grammar and composition website.
If you have the time and inclination, take a peek at the listicle and let us know right here on this thread whether you find it helpful.
I hearty second all of the advice, especially:
#1. Give it a rest
#3. Accuracy
#5. Read the text aloud.
#6. Use Spell-Check (but don’t fully rely upon it.)
#8. Read the text backwards. This is a good idea, because you might get caught up with
the content of the narrative and miss some glaring errors. (Yes, you want to see the forest, but don’t ignore the trees.)Start from the bottom up and read every sentence backwards.
If you’re new to the writing game and you’d like to brush up on your punctuation skills, you’re welcome to check out this thread from 2010. WARNING: it contains a mixed metaphor, along with a proper name that wasn’t as highly-charged five years ago as it is today.
Finally, on occasion a writer says to himself, “That’s it. I don’t want to change a thing.” That’s a rare feeling- -cherish it. Yet keep in mind the possibility that such excellence might not immediately reveal itself to others. Don’t assume that readers will magically know what you mean: all they have to go on is what’s in front of them on the page (or the PC screen.)
When applying the finishing touches to a work, a writer should ask the ultimate question: does this really say what I want it to say?
http://grammar.about.com/od/improvey...oofreading.htm
http://www.online-literature.com/for...de+Punctuation