Working with a professional editor helps you put your best work out there for readers to consume. But working with an editor doesn’t mean you should slack on proofreading before the editing process. Proofreading your work helps you give your editors something better to work with. But authors often struggle with finding errors in their work since they’re so personally invested. Consider working on your proofreading skills so you can give your editor the best you have to offer.
- Focus on your common mistakes – Every author has weaknesses when it comes to their writing skills. When proofreading your work, focus on looking for the mistakes you commonly make.
- Read your work aloud – Reading aloud helps you hear mistakes that you might otherwise look over. Consider reading your work aloud to a friend or family member so they can also help you fix grammatical errors or phrasing issues to make your writing clearer.
- Take a break – Step away from your finished manuscript for a few days before proofreading. Giving your brain a break can help you focus more on finding mistakes once you return to proofread your work.
- Be unconventional – Rather than reading your work from beginning to end, consider starting at the end and working backward. When reading in a logical way, your brain can fill in what it knows to be correct, causing you to overlook mistakes. Reading out of order prevents this and can help you find issues that you could otherwise overlook.
Editors are experienced in improving written work, but they can do their jobs more effectively if you give them a better-quality manuscript to work with. Learn how to recognize and correct your most common mistakes before you send your work to an editor. This ensures that they can focus on those more challenging issues that authors often overlook.