Let’s get our manuscript “publish-ready.” Refer to last month’s post for my definition. This time, we’ll look at basic proofreading. [bctt tweet=”Spell check in Microsoft Word or whatever word processing program you use—is simply not good enough.” username=”@donnalhsmith @a3forme”]. #amwriting #publishready #selfediting
Catching Typos
Use spell-check, but don’t rely on it: heals vs. heels, etc.
Read it out loud: our eyes skip over things too quickly. When we read it aloud, we slow down, reading every word.
Print it out: Even though a computer simulates the printed page quite well, there’s just something about actually seeing it on real paper.
Proofread backward: I’ve never tried this, but it sounds interesting.
Catching Inconsistencies
Chapter Titles and Numbers: Especially when adding or deleting chapter, make sure they’re in proper order. Use your search or find function on your word processor.
Paragraph Indents: Generally, most manuscripts ask for a half-inch indent. When you end a scene with either a # (hashtag) or * (asterisk), make sure you’ve taken out the indent for that paragraph alone.
Hyphens, dashes, and ellipses: I always consult a grammar website or the text listed here. Here are a few pointers to help you discern. An ellipses (…) is used for fragmented speech, i.e. confusion, insecurity, or uncertainty. An em dash (—) is for a break in thought or interruption. An en dash (–) is used for consecutive numbers such as 1–10.
Apostrophes and quotation marks: usually font-controlled. Any fonts associated with old typewriter styles usually has the straight marks, such as “ when most publishers would like them curved, like “. One note: if you’re using an em dash at the end of dialogue, put the end quotes in first or it will look like this: “Hello. Are you––“ Quotation marks are backwards. “Hello. Are you––”
[bctt tweet=”If we learn to catch these simple things ourselves, the overall appearance of our manuscript will improve, and give us a better chance. ” username=”@donnalhsmith @a3forme”]#amwriting #selfediting
How about you? What proofreading secret has helped you the most? Leave a comment and let me know.
