Editing Ā & Proofreading Cheat Sheet
ā A lot of questions I receive revolve around editing and proofreading, so I decided to make an extensive guide to editing your own writing. I collaborated with some amazing friends on this post so this is dedicated to them as well as all of you. I hope you find it useful. Enjoy!
Know The Difference: Editing vs. Proofreading
Editing is about the content, proofreading is about the technical detail and accuracy. Once you know the difference and you separate the two into different tasks, going through and actually doing it will seem less daunting. Deciding which to tacking first depends on what youāre like when you edit, but if you struggling with focusing on actually improving the content because you get distracted by grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, then proofreading first may be a good idea.Ā
Be Intentional With Your Vocabulary
Be frugal with unique adjectives
Only use dialogue tags when absolutely necessary
Be mindful of overused words
Take the time to find the right words
The words you choose can make all the difference so pay special attention to them.
A basic rule to editing that people often forget it, if it doesnāt serve a purpose, you should cut it out. A short book that is amazing all the way through is better than a long book that is redundant. Donāt worry about leaving your readers in the dark or not having enough content. As you edit, youāll find ways and places in which to input more information.
This is the part where you make sure the writing itself sounds how you want it to. Itās important to read your writing aloud during this stage. Some things to pay attention to regarding flow and rhythm:
sentence length/variation
syllables and how they fit together
how your writing sounds out loud
Say it once and say it clearly. Redundancy bores readers so quickly, so when putting information forward, be clear, concise, and donāt add fluff. You donāt need to write a whole paragraph about how a character feels in a situation. Itās important to give the reader just enough to read between the lines.
Common Grammar Mistakes To Look For
Subject-verb agreement errors
Missing Comma After Introductory Element
Misusing The Apostrophe With āItsā
No Comma In A Compound Sentence
Misplaced Or Dangling Modifier
Lack Of Parallel Structure
List from here x {Explains these further and more in depth}
ācould haveā not ācould ofā
āMy friends and Iā not āme and my friendsā {If you take away āmy friendsā or āIā, or one of the nouns in a sentence in general, the sentence should still make sense}
āI couldnāt care lessā not āI could care lessā. This should be a no-brainer.
Familiarize yourself with these common mistakes and avoid making them at all costs. Itās also helpful to have someone read over it and let you know when they find issues with phrases you used. Please be attentive to these mistakes because making them can destroy your credibility as a writer.
If youāre describing something in your writing, you should be slipping in words and little details that appeal to the readerās senses, When editing, look for opportunities to slip in how a place smells, how a food tastes, how something feels to the touch, etc. Itās unbelievable how much this enhances your story.
Punctuation Rules In English
the period (or full stop in British English)
When proofreading and marking up your manuscript, it can save a lot of time and energy if you use marks instead of actually write out everything, so here is a little chart I found that may be useful to you:
Other Things To Look Out For
Make sure you know who is talking
Vary the tone from scene to scene
Inconsistencies in story details
Causes and effects of events are explained
Facts and technical details {Make sure youāve researched them well}
Deviations from established background (know your story really really well and make sure your reader does too)
Go in assuming that your work is full of errors. Maybe itās not, but itās better to be prepared for the worst and solve the issues now rather than when itās too late
DO NOT BE SENTIMENTAL. Yes, easier said than done, but itās possible.Ā
Make the text less recognizable to yourself in order to catch details you may not otherwise.
Print out your manuscript and physically write out the changes.
Read your writing out loud. Sometimes writing looks like it makes sense, but in reality sounds wrong.Ā
Do it in short periods over time so that you donāt inevitably get lazy with paying attention to little details
Keep in mind that editing usually takes longer than actually writing the draft because it is less fluid and requires more thought and problem solving.
Donāt rely on spelling and/or grammar checking software; theyāre not always correct and can easily misinterpret what youāre trying to get across.Ā
Check for a single error at a time. It may be time consuming and tedious but itās more effective than the alternative.
Give yourself time and read slowly through it multiple times
Split up large chunks of text to make it easier to handle. Donāt go through your whole manuscript page by page as if you were just reading it as a book. Go chapter by chapter or scene by scene or even sentence by sentence.
If something seems off, investigate it. Donāt take a chance and leave it be. If youāre stumped, highlight it and have someone else look over it.
Have a strategy. Maybe not at first, especially if you donāt extensively edit your work regularly, but with time youāll find what works for you and what doesnāt. Create your own system and use it to save yourself some time and confusion.
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