How to Proofread and Edit like a Pro
I've been a professional editor and writing instructor in some capacity most of my professional life. Over the years I've developed a method of reviewing that works really well for me. I'll share it here in the hopes it will help you develop your own method as you work through the process of becoming a self-editor.
When I'm reviewing other people's work I review in three steps:
1. I proofread. I go through the entire document looking for errant commas, misused semicolons, proper in-text citations, proper word choice. How do I do this? I skim through the words, not actually reading, and I look for very specific things.
I look for commas and when I find one, I stop and ask a question:
-Is there a complete sentence before and after the comma and does the comma have For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet (FANBOY) in front of it? If the answer is yes, I leave it alone and skim on to the next comma. If the answer is that there are complete sentences on either side but no sign of a FANBOY, then I change the comma to a semicolon. If the answer is that there isn't a complete sentence on either side then I remove the comma.
Are there exceptions to this? Sure, but I'll catch any mistakes I make in phase 2, when I actually read for editing.
I look for semicolons and make sure that there are either complete sentences on either side (I was hungry; I ate breakfast) or that the semicolon is being used to separate elements with internal commas (commas within the element). Like this: I have lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota; San Diego, California; and London, England.
I look at other punctuation, and ask: is the punctuation inside of double quotation marks "like this?" If so great, if not, I adjust. I make sure that double quotation marks are used for direct quotes or to show dialogue and that single quotation marks are only used within a quote.
Other things I look for are kind of nitpicky: proper spelling, repetitious words, spelling out all numbers under nine and using figures for all numbers 10 and higher. Then I move on to the next step.
2. I read. I'll read through, conducting a close read. This means I read every word, sometimes out loud if I have to, with an eye (and ear!) on clarity and grammar. I'll rearrange words, rewrite sentences, and ask critical questions. In some cases, why something isn't reading well isn't immediately clear. I go by what my first boss out of college told me about revising: if it doesn't feel right it probably isn't right. So I highlight any tricky sentences and when I finish my close read of the document, I move on to the last step.
3. I work out tough areas. Now that I've proofread and revised the bulk of the text I go back to those tricky sentences that had me stumped. What do I define as a tricky sentence? Anything I have to read more than three times. If I catch myself rereading a sentence for whatever the reason, I'll highlight and know that I have this last step ahead where I can reconcile any troubles. Sometimes, when I go back through and find these highlighted sections I find that there's absolutely nothing wrong with the sentence...I was looking too closely. In which case I cheer, unhighlight, and move to the next.
The process is slightly different if it's my own work in that I do one additional step: I force myself to put as much time between writing and revision as possible. There's nothing more valuable than approaching a text with fresh eyes. If I can wait until I'm at the point where even the story is new to me, all the better.
As always, remember that proofreading, revising, and self-editing are skills themselves that take just as much development as writing. Be patient and practice, and you'll do just fine.
When I'm reviewing other people's work I review in three steps:
1. I proofread. I go through the entire document looking for errant commas, misused semicolons, proper in-text citations, proper word choice. How do I do this? I skim through the words, not actually reading, and I look for very specific things.
I look for commas and when I find one, I stop and ask a question:
-Is there a complete sentence before and after the comma and does the comma have For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet (FANBOY) in front of it? If the answer is yes, I leave it alone and skim on to the next comma. If the answer is that there are complete sentences on either side but no sign of a FANBOY, then I change the comma to a semicolon. If the answer is that there isn't a complete sentence on either side then I remove the comma.
Are there exceptions to this? Sure, but I'll catch any mistakes I make in phase 2, when I actually read for editing.
I look for semicolons and make sure that there are either complete sentences on either side (I was hungry; I ate breakfast) or that the semicolon is being used to separate elements with internal commas (commas within the element). Like this: I have lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota; San Diego, California; and London, England.
I look at other punctuation, and ask: is the punctuation inside of double quotation marks "like this?" If so great, if not, I adjust. I make sure that double quotation marks are used for direct quotes or to show dialogue and that single quotation marks are only used within a quote.
Other things I look for are kind of nitpicky: proper spelling, repetitious words, spelling out all numbers under nine and using figures for all numbers 10 and higher. Then I move on to the next step.
2. I read. I'll read through, conducting a close read. This means I read every word, sometimes out loud if I have to, with an eye (and ear!) on clarity and grammar. I'll rearrange words, rewrite sentences, and ask critical questions. In some cases, why something isn't reading well isn't immediately clear. I go by what my first boss out of college told me about revising: if it doesn't feel right it probably isn't right. So I highlight any tricky sentences and when I finish my close read of the document, I move on to the last step.
3. I work out tough areas. Now that I've proofread and revised the bulk of the text I go back to those tricky sentences that had me stumped. What do I define as a tricky sentence? Anything I have to read more than three times. If I catch myself rereading a sentence for whatever the reason, I'll highlight and know that I have this last step ahead where I can reconcile any troubles. Sometimes, when I go back through and find these highlighted sections I find that there's absolutely nothing wrong with the sentence...I was looking too closely. In which case I cheer, unhighlight, and move to the next.
The process is slightly different if it's my own work in that I do one additional step: I force myself to put as much time between writing and revision as possible. There's nothing more valuable than approaching a text with fresh eyes. If I can wait until I'm at the point where even the story is new to me, all the better.
As always, remember that proofreading, revising, and self-editing are skills themselves that take just as much development as writing. Be patient and practice, and you'll do just fine.
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