Proofreading your own manuscript
From: elizabeth.ward@[removed].org
Date: 14 Jan 1992
As someone who has published two novels and who has done occasional proofreading for small presses over the last couple of years, I can say with some certainty that proofreading your own manuscript is one of the most difficult parts of the writing process. The eye and the mind conspire against you. You see what you meant to write, not what is actually there.
The first and most important step is to create distance. Print a hard copy and put it in a drawer for at least three days, preferably a week or more. When you return to the pages, you will read them with fresher eyes. If you are working on a computer, also consider printing in a different font or with different margins. Anything that breaks the visual familiarity helps.
I always read the printed pages aloud. It is the only reliable way I have found to catch missing words, repeated words, and sentences that sound wrong even when they look correct on the page. Do not skip this step even if it feels awkward.
From: elizabeth.ward@[removed].org
Date: 19 Jan 1992
Continuing from my earlier note, here are two more techniques that have proven reliable for me.
Read the manuscript backwards, one sentence at a time, starting from the final page and working toward the beginning. This is tedious, but it is astonishingly effective for catching spelling errors and transposed letters because the narrative flow no longer helps your brain "fix" the problems. Pay special attention to proper names and place names; these are where authors most often become blind.
Second, use a physical guide. Take a blank sheet of paper or a ruler and move it down the page line by line, exposing only the current line. This prevents your eye from jumping ahead or filling in from context. I learned this from an old typesetter who worked on galley proofs for decades. It still works whether your final output will be electronic or traditional print.
If you have the time, do a separate pass just for numbers, dates, and ages. Nothing undermines a manuscript faster than a character who is twelve in chapter three and fourteen three months later.
From: peter.nguyen@[removed].com
Date: 22 Jan 1992
This is really helpful, Elizabeth. I've been using the spell checker in WordPerfect 5.1 but I keep missing things that the program thinks are fine. The backwards reading trick sounds painful but I'm going to try it on the next draft. Thanks.
From: elizabeth.ward@[removed].org
Date: 25 Jan 1992
A practical question that comes up when working with small publishers is how many times one should read the manuscript before sending it out. In my experience, both as an author and as a proofreader, you need multiple targeted passes rather than one long read.
Pass one: spelling and obvious typos. Use whatever spell checker your software offers (WordPerfect 5.1's is quite good for its time), but follow it with a manual scan. The checker will miss context errors.
Pass two: punctuation, capitalization, and sentence structure. Read aloud again during this pass.
Pass three: consistency. I maintain a one-page style sheet for every book listing every character's full name, any variant spellings I have chosen to avoid, and decisions about numbers, abbreviations, and dialogue tags. Check every instance against this sheet.
Pass four: a final cold read for sense and flow. At this stage I try to read as a first-time reader would, ignoring what I "know" about the story.
From: elizabeth.ward@[removed].org
Date: 02 Feb 1992
One thing I have noticed while proofreading for small presses is that even the most conscientious authors overlook certain patterns. Here is a short checklist I keep taped above my desk:
- Confirm every instance of "its" versus "it's", "their" versus "there" versus "they're".
- Check that chapter titles and numbers match any table of contents.
- Verify that all character names remain consistent, including nicknames.
- Ensure ellipses, em-dashes, and quotation marks are uniform throughout.
- Scan for accidental double spaces or missing spaces after periods and commas.
- Look at the first and last page of every chapter; these are where fatigue errors cluster.
Most importantly, know when to stop. There comes a point where further tinkering produces diminishing returns. If the project justifies it, send a clean copy to a trusted reader or pay a professional proofreader for a final pass. Small publishers appreciate a manuscript that requires minimal intervention.
These methods are not foolproof, but they have served me well in 1991 and 1992. I would be glad to hear what has worked for others preparing work for electronic or print distribution.