The devil’s in the details. Writing can be a laborious task. And for many, myself included, it can be near impossible to muster the focus required of proofreading once that final mark of punctuation has been placed. After I have toiled over a written statement, be it a Facebook post or a magazine article, the last thing I want to do is reread what I wrote. However, it is essential, for careless errors in writing can have rather significant consequences. The following tactics are designed to make proofreading more tolerable and more successful.

1. Proofreading and editing are not the same thing.

Writing is, by no means, a linear process, and there are countless approaches to any one task; however, there are certain mile markers that should be passed along the way to crafting a well-written message. Editing, for one, is the process in which you evaluate the content you have presented and add, omit, or reshape based on the goal of your message. Proofreading, however, is a fourth-quarter tactic. Yes, you may invest some time in polishing your prose throughout the entirety of the writing process, but any words worthy of print deserve a dedicated and final review before you regard your writing as ready for press or post.

2. Spell-checkers can be misleading.

While the imminent threat of artificial intelligence is plausible, rest assured, spell-check tools will not be the catalyst of the machine uprising. The only real threat this convenient little tool presents is the creation of a generation of bad spellers. Certainly, these tools are a worthwhile starting point when proofreading, but under no circumstances should you blindly accept suggested changes, and don’t hesitate to challenge the machine — you are the one who knows what you are trying to communicate, and you may very well have stated it correctly despite what that judgmental squiggly line might suggest.

3. The dictionary is your friend.

In my former life as a composition instructor, where students assumed word count was more important than meaning, I would routinely state that the thesaurus is no friend of mine. The dictionary, on the other hand, is wonderfully friendly (it even has a successful and meaningful relationship with the elusive thesaurus). There is no shame in taking that extra step and looking up the words you have selected to shape your message. Too frequently, we get by with contextual understandings that ultimately dilute our awareness of a word’s true meaning. This long-handed method for proofreading not only helps to root out errant spellings, but it can also help to ensure that your message is as clear and concise as possible.

About the thesaurus — Use it, but do so with your good friend the dictionary close at hand. Don’t settle on the word that sounds right; select the word that is most right for your message based on its definition.

4. Read aloud.

Yes, this can evoke feelings of self-consciousness if you, like me, hold your nose to the grindstone within the confines of a cubicle. Nonetheless, reading aloud forces you to slow your progression through your copy and draws your attention to each and every word as you enunciate. The goal here is to give each and every word you have included (even those grammatically necessary yet rather drab conjunctions) careful and thoughtful consideration.

This tactic has the added benefit of allowing you to turn your attention to the cadence of your writing. Is there a natural rhythm to your prose? Or do you find yourself getting tongue-tied? If the latter is true, it might be necessary to circle back to the editing stage of the writing process.

5. Finish where you begin.

Yes, when teaching the Von Trapp children to sing, Maria advised starting at the very beginning, for it truly is a very good place to start — when reading or singing. However, when proofreading, you are best served to break the patterns that allow for the ease and efficiency of processing information. It is all too easy to overlook the mistake that is right in front of your eyes when reading left to right, start to finish. You are the one who wrote what you are now reviewing, and when you already know where the message is going, your mind will readily gloss over little things like transposed letters or missing articles. When proofreading, try beginning with the last word, working right to left, bottom to top.

6. Get someone else to do it.

No, I’m not advocating that you shirk responsibility (at least not wholly so), but sometimes a fresh pair of eyes will see something that you simply cannot. Much like the previous two tactics, the value in this tactic lies in the reality that it is all too easy to overlook mistakes that you, as the writer, unwittingly made. Truth be told, I failed to notice an error in this very post despite having read through the document more than once. It was only when I passed this to a peer that, thankfully, the error was found. Of course, this is not a standalone tactic. Be certain to make your best effort to catch your own errors before burdening someone else with the task.

Yes, proofreading can quickly become a rather involved task; however, the assurances gained by making this extra effort are more than worth the time expended. Careful proofreading can save you the monetary expense of a reprint in the instance of an error made on a printed piece and the embarrassment of someone else pointing out your errors. The trick is to find the combination of tactics that best work for you.

Featured image by jmayer1129 via Flickr.