Everything you write — blog posts, marketing copy, emails, etc. — is a reflection of your professionalism, your communication skills and your experience. Of course no one is perfect, but you still should want to give the best impression you can by writing with as few typos and grammatical errors as possible.
In an ideal situation, you will be able to have someone else proofread your writing for you, but that’s not always possible. Sometimes, it’s necessary to self-edit. Here are some tricks for proofreading your own writing so you can present the sharpest, most knowledgeable and best “you” through your words.
Make Your Own Shortcuts
We each have our own writing demons … words we frequently misspell, punctuation we misplace and phrases we misuse. Start a list to keep track of mistakes you make repeatedly, with the correction right alongside it. Not only will this give you one place to go for a quick error-check, but putting the list somewhere you can see it every day will help you remember the right way, first.
Get a Stylebook
Stylebooks are not just for professional writers; they can be valuable tools for anyone writing just about anything. There are several different writing styles; pick one that feels best to you and use it as your frame of reference for all of your writing. A stylebook also helps you write with consistency, and that can enhance your professionalism.
Read It Out Loud
Reading out loud is a great way to catch grammatical errors. It’s also a useful exercise for identifying locations for commas and other punctuation. If wording sounds off to you when you read it out loud, it probably will to others, too.
Print and Read Backwards
This is a trick I learned in my college days when I worked in the publications office at the University. Print out your writing, and read it backwards word-for-word (it’s helpful to use an envelope or other straight-edge tool to keep your place). Forcing your eye to look at each word — out of sentence context — can help you catch errors you might otherwise miss.
Use Spelling and Grammar Checks
Spellcheckers aren’t perfect, but they can help you find common errors, or at least show you words and phrases that might have alternatives. It’s a good idea to run a check on everything you write before letting it loose.
Give It a Rest
When you feel like you’ve caught everything you can, give it a break and come back to it a few hours later with a fresh eye. You might find errors or ideas for improving language that seemed perfect when you first wrote it.
What are your tricks for proofreading your own writing?
Image credit: myles
Alyssa GregoryAlyssa Gregory is a digital and content marketer, small business consultant, and the founder of the Small Business Bonfire — a social, educational and collaborative community for entrepreneurs.
