Self-Editing: Share your tricks

[Weird Harold]

I know that there are many more tricks for self-editing and proofreading your own work than the advice I gave Bonnie.

So share what works for you to avoid that feeling of horror when your sory posts and there are half a dozen flashing neon errors in the first screen of your story.

(Advice cross-posted from Bonnie's thread on setting a scene.)

Seeing the story posted, the spelling, dropped words, and gramatical mishaps positively leap off the page at me. Why couldn't I see them before? I SWEAR they weren't there when I posted! Anyone else have that same kind of blind spot before submitting,

Everybody has that blind spot and it requires some effort to overcome it without a second set of eyes to spot them.

There are several tricks to make the errors stand out as if you had already posted the story, but the simplest is the same thing that makes them noticeable after posting -- make your story look different than when you originally typed it (or last edited it.)

You can change the font, font size, margins, background color, text color, or any combination therof but changing the look releases your mind from the preconception that it knows what's on the screen because it knows what it told your fingers to type.

Additonally, when you do your final proofread, start with the last paragraph and proofread each paragraph independently from back to front.

 

[sr71plt]

Read it out loud. You'll see better if it tracks right and you'll catch more misspellings and typos in reading aloud than in just scanning it with your eyes.

 

[Weird Harold]

Read it out loud. You'll see better if it tracks right and you'll catch more misspellings and typos in reading aloud than in just scanning it with your eyes.

I wonder how effective text-to-speech software would be as an editing tool.

I've never been able to read anything aloud that's longer than about a paragraph 'cause my eyes, mind, and tongue don't seem to be able to stay in synch.

 

[starrkers]

Once you've read it once for meaning, go back and read each word individually, rather than in sentence context - spelling errors tend to show up. Then specifically look for misused homonyms (there/their/they're etc).

Then cringe when it posts and you've still missed a couple.

 

[sr71plt]

Additonally, when you do your final proofread, start with the last paragraph and proofread each paragraph independently from back to front.

If your life (or job) depends on there being no misspellings, eyeball it all backward to forward, word by word, looking at each word. Then none will run together in groups of words where you will just overlook a background word (or not notice a doubled "to" or "the").

 

[neonlyte]

Do word searches for 'had' and 'that' - at least 50% will be redundant. Similarly for 'he', 'she', some are redundant, some can be replaced with characters name, some suggest re-wording to eliminate.

 

[Liar]

Time seems to work for me. I never really have to write fiction on a deadline, so I can let a story rest for a week or three. That makes me less immersed in the individual phrases and sentences. Then I can pick it up, and remember how it should read, in my idealized memory of it, and compare it to the reality of the text in front of me.

 

[Guest]

- I place it on lit so the text looks different.

- I have Microsoft Reader read it back to me. Having it read to you is great for catching wrong/missing words.

Maharat

 

[tonightsthenigh]

I wonder how effective text-to-speech software would be as an editing tool.

I use a Mac Ibook G4 OS X text to speech works great - always catch something that I didn't see with my eyes only.

Jani
http://BlowPons.com

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I read aloud to another person, usually over the phone. They dont have to deal with ME, and can focus on the story. What usually happens is the other person gets into the story and reacts to it verbally (like laughing, for example) or I draw out their inner editor. Either way I get good feedback.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Hubby gets personal readings of every story posted for editing purposes.

He loves that part.

 

[sr71plt]

I read aloud to another person, usually over the phone. They dont have to deal with ME, and can focus on the story. What usually happens is the other person gets into the story and reacts to it verbally (like laughing, for example) or I draw out their inner editor. Either way I get good feedback.

I suppose the question there is whether it's someone you know you're reading to over the phone or someone you've randoming pulled out of the phone book--which could get interesting with erotica.

 

[hmmnmm]

I suppose the question there is whether it's someone you know you're reading to over the phone or someone you've randoming pulled out of the phone book--which could get interesting with erotica.

Hey - this is the perfect angle for an idea that's rolled around my head for nearly a year. I don't want to offend or anger anyone, but I'd really like to explore this one - I'll be glad to credit the source of inspiration, or if it would really piss you off, I'll think of something else.

Regarding the topic:
I've noticed that when the cringe-inducing errors appear (quite often) after a piece has posted, I'll recall that I posted it late at night, I was tired, 'it looks good', overexcited - not thinking soberly, unable to see that it won't hurt to let it rest another night. These among others. It's a horrible feeling. I agree, reading it aloud helps. I never tried the changing fonts and such, but that's a great idea.

Also, if I print it out and go away from the computer, sit with it at the kitchen table, it's amazing all the problems I catch - and when a piece shows up with all those cringing errors, it's because I neglected to do the print-kitchen table-perusal. Just about every time.

 

[Jet Black]

One problem with the text to speech thing, I burst out laughing when I hear that robotic voice say something naughty.... Seriously. It's hilarious.

My main problem is past and present tense, really. No matter how many times I edit for myself, I don't catch it, because in my mind... The words are there. Proper spelling, punctuation. It even "sounds" right... but it's in the wrong friggin tense xD

Anybody know any tricks to catch that? Besides my current technique - A skilled editor

 

[sr71plt]

Hey - this is the perfect angle for an idea that's rolled around my head for nearly a year. I don't want to offend or anger anyone, but I'd really like to explore this one - I'll be glad to credit the source of inspiration, or if it would really piss you off, I'll think of something else.

Regarding the topic:
I've noticed that when the cringe-inducing errors appear (quite often) after a piece has posted, I'll recall that I posted it late at night, I was tired, 'it looks good', overexcited - not thinking soberly, unable to see that it won't hurt to let it rest another night. These among others. It's a horrible feeling. I agree, reading it aloud helps. I never tried the changing fonts and such, but that's a great idea.

Also, if I print it out and go away from the computer, sit with it at the kitchen table, it's amazing all the problems I catch - and when a piece shows up with all those cringing errors, it's because I neglected to do the print-kitchen table-perusal. Just about every time.

No trademarks on that theme. I think one of the stories offered up at Story Feedback recently had a variation of that theme.

 

[glynndah]

Cut and paste individual paragraphs onto another document and jumble them up. You're not skimming over errors because you're anticipating what comes next.

 

[Weird Harold]

Cut and paste individual paragraphs onto another document and jumble them up. You're not skimming over errors because you're anticipating what comes next.

How do you tranfer the corrections back to the original document that way? I can see how it helps to spot errors, but not how it helps correct them/

 

[Fag-Ash_Lil]

My editing advice is simple.

Go outside and smoke a ciggie (or something else if you have it).

After the break everything becomes much clearer.

Then I delete the whole file. Fag-Ash Lil doesn't write except for advance payments in ciggies.

Fag-Ash

 

[sweeteuphoria]

One problem with the text to speech thing, I burst out laughing when I hear that robotic voice say something naughty.... Seriously. It's hilarious.

My main problem is past and present tense, really. No matter how many times I edit for myself, I don't catch it, because in my mind... The words are there. Proper spelling, punctuation. It even "sounds" right... but it's in the wrong friggin tense xD

Anybody know any tricks to catch that? Besides my current technique - A skilled editor

I found these sites helped me
http://grammartips.homestead.com/pastparticiples.html
http://www.englishpage.com/irregularverbs/irregularverbs.html
http://www.englishpage.com/irregularverbs/irregularverbs2.html

tenses are the hardest thing for me as well, but there's help.

 

[jomar]

These are some good ideas. I do the reading aloud one. Time also helps me. I'll try the font/size change thing.

 

[Emperor_Nero]

What usually works for shorter stories (don't think I'd try this with a novel length work) is print it out and then retype it into a new file. Retyping makes you focus on each word and you catch a lot of different kinds of mistakes.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

. . . Then cringe when it posts and you've still missed a couple.

I've got that one down pat.

 

[cloudy]

I know its something you're "not supposed to do," but I edit as I go...always have.

*shrug*

 

[rgraham666]

I know its something you're "not supposed to do," but I edit as I go...always have.

*shrug*

Moi aussi.

That's one of the nice things about being a high school dropout. I never learned how to do things 'properly'.

 

[cloudy]

Moi aussi.

That's one of the nice things about being a high school dropout. I never learned how to do things 'properly'.

Well, I always miss a couple of typos that way, but usually I can find a friend to do a quick proof for me.