Writing and Proofreading

Proofreading is a crucial step in the writing process. For some writers, proofreading is hard because they are not confident about some of the basic rules of writing (punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, etc.). For other writers, proofreading is hard because, even if you know the rules, it can be difficult to detect mistakes in your own writing; your eyes can just "skip over" the mistakes, correcting them before they even reach your conscious brain. As a result, proofreading is not easy for anybody. One of my main goals for this class is to help you to improve both your writing and your proofreading skills. Nota bene: while I promise that you will have my help, I cannot just be your proofreader. Instead, you need to take charge of your own proofreading and identify the steps you need to take to improve. Here are some specific suggestions for taking charge and moving forward:

1. Find out if you need to review any of the basic rules of English writing. To do this, take a look at the comments you received from me in response to the Week 1 Proofreading Assessment. Are the rules that are included in those comments familiar to you? If the rules are not familiar, then you have to learn those rules! You can use the online review materials that I have provided at the Writing With Aesop blog. You can also find lots of other help materials online, such as the webpages at the Purdue OWL, and you might also want to consult the writing handbook that you probably purchased for your freshman composition class.

2. Create a review schedule. If there are a lot of rules you need to learn, then you should prioritize and make a weekly schedule, mastering one new set of rules each week, starting with the most common/serious problems. So, for example, if you need to work on the rules for quoted speech AND on the uses of the apostrophe AND on the various types of comma usage, tackle those one at a time: work on quoted speech this week, work on the apostrophe next week, and then work on each of the different kinds of comma rules week by week, etc. You can definitely use the Writing Center for this purpose; the writing tutors there can go over the rules with you in detail, explaining anything that is not clear. If you are proceeding on a week-by-week schedule like this, definitely let me know about that when you turn in your Storybook assignments! That way I can specifically help you to assess whether you did a good job with your review goal for that week.

3. Develop a proofreading strategy. There are LOTS of different tips and tricks for becoming an effective proofreader. Here are just a few suggestions:

• Tune out ALL distractions: turn off music, cellphone, browser notifications - everything.
• Make sure you are working in a well-lighted environment.
• Read out loud - slowly.
• Listen to someone else read your writing to you out loud.
• Print out a hard copy of the text and move your finger along as you read, while marking corrections as you go.
• Double- or triple-space your printed copy.
• Use an especially large font when you do the proofreading. (This applies to hard copy or on-screen; if you are reading on-screen, learn the commands for enlarging the font in your browser.)
• Use an unusual font, different from your usual font. (This applies to hard copy or on-screen; you can change to the strange font for while you are proofreading and then change it back again when you are done.)
• You may find it most helpful to use a font with serifs, even if that is not your usual choice; Times Roman, for example, is a popular font that has serifs.
• Adjust the margins to make the line width more narrow. (If you are reading on-screen, you can do this by narrowing your browser window.) 
• Read through once for content, and then read through a second time with a focus on punctuation.
• Make sure you have one read-through that is perfectly clean. (In other words, if you have made any changes, make sure you proofread again from start to finish.)
• Give yourself a break of at least several hours between the actual writing and the proofreading.
• Proofread when your mind is fresh; if you are about to go to bed - go to bed! Then, proofread when you get up in the morning.

You need to decide which of these tips really work for you; you might even create a little checklist to make sure you are utilizing your favorite tips each time you proofread.

4. Practice. I've created some practice exercises - Take the Fable Challenge! - which are based on a simple trick (no spaces) to get you to slow down while reading. You will need to go through and put the spaces between the words first, and then add the capitalization and punctuation. An answer key is provided. I hope these are helpful! There are ten of these "fable challenges" available, which should provide an abundant amount of practice. If you have ideas about other kinds of practice materials I can create for you, please let me know!

In summary: it is my sincere desire that you will be able to improve your writing and proofreading skills during the course of the semester. No matter what kind of career path you plan to follow, being able to write correctly and confidently will be a big plus. I am here to help, and if you are confused or in doubt about how to proceed, please let me know! You may not have the benefit of a "writing coach" like this again, so I would urge you to take advantage of this opportunity. In the end, it comes down to the time and effort you can dedicate to your writing. I promise you that if you invest the time and the effort this semester, you will be able to see real improvements!