Learn How To Self-Edit And Proofread Your Book Like A Pro Today!
By Bing Chat and John Monyjok Maluth
Introduction
Writing a book is a rewarding and challenging process, but it doesn’t end when you type the last word. Before you can share your book with the world, you need to polish it and make it as flawless as possible. That’s where self-editing and proofreading come in.
Related: Self-Publishing Ultimate Guide
Self-editing and proofreading are the steps you take to improve your own writing, from the big picture to the smallest details. They can help you catch and fix errors, inconsistencies, weaknesses, and other issues that might affect the quality and readability of your book.
However, self-editing and proofreading are not easy tasks. They require time, patience, skill, and objectivity. You might be tempted to skip them or rush through them, but that would be a mistake. A poorly edited or proofread book can ruin your reputation as a writer and turn off your readers.
So, how can you self-edit and proofread your book like a pro? Here are some tips and tools to help you.
Self-Editing Tips
Self-editing is the process of revising your own writing at the content, structure, and style levels. It involves looking at your book as a whole and evaluating its strengths and weaknesses. You might need to rewrite, rearrange, add, or delete parts of your book to make it more coherent, engaging, and effective.
Here are some tips to self-edit your book like a pro:
- Plan your self-editing process by breaking it into subtasks. Don’t try to tackle everything at once. Instead, focus on one aspect of your writing at a time, such as plot, characters, dialogue, point of view, voice, tone, etc. This will help you avoid overwhelm and confusion.
- Distance yourself from your writing. After finishing your first draft, put it aside for a while before you start editing. This will help you gain some perspective and objectivity. You can also ask someone else to read your draft and give you feedback.
- Choose verbs over weak phrases with adverbs. Verbs are the engines of your sentences. They convey action, emotion, and meaning. Avoid using weak verbs with adverbs (e.g., he walked slowly) and replace them with stronger verbs (e.g., he trudged).
- Spice up the text with punchy adjectives. Adjectives are the spices of your sentences. They add flavor, color, and detail to your nouns. However, don’t overuse them or rely on vague or clichéd ones (e.g., beautiful, nice, amazing). Use specific and original adjectives that suit your genre and tone (e.g., dazzling, cozy, sinister).
- Avoid clichés. Clichés are expressions that have been used so often that they have lost their impact and originality (e.g., as cold as ice, a dime a dozen, a needle in a haystack). They can make your writing sound boring and unoriginal. Avoid them or replace them with fresh and creative alternatives.
- Switch to active voice. Active voice is when the subject of the sentence performs the action (e.g., she wrote a book). Passive voice is when the subject of the sentence receives the action (e.g., a book was written by her). Active voice is usually preferred because it is more direct, clear, and dynamic. Passive voice can be useful in some cases (e.g., when you want to emphasize the object or hide the agent), but use it sparingly.
- Coordinate the use of tenses. Tenses indicate when an action or event occurs in relation to the present (e.g., past tense, present tense, future tense). Make sure you use consistent and appropriate tenses throughout your book. Avoid switching tenses randomly or unnecessarily.
- Read out loud. Reading your writing out loud can help you spot errors, awkward sentences, unclear passages, and other issues that you might miss when reading silently. You can also use text-to-speech software or apps to listen to your writing.
- Rest your manuscript. After completing your self-editing process, take a break from your manuscript for a few days or weeks before moving on to proofreading. This will help you refresh your mind and prepare for the final stage of polishing your book.
Proofreading Tips
Proofreading is the process of checking your own writing for errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, formatting, and other details. It involves looking at each word and sentence carefully and correcting any mistakes that might affect the accuracy and credibility of your book.
Here are some tips to proofread your book like a pro:
- Use online proofreading tools for perfect writing. Online proofreading tools are software or apps that can help you detect and fix errors in your writing automatically or semi-automatically. They can save you time and effort by scanning your text and suggesting corrections or improvements. Some of the best and free online proofreading tools for writers are Grammarly1, Language Tool2, Pro Writing Aid3, Google Docs4, Ginger Software5, and Grammar Lookup6. You can also use paid tools such as Antidote7, Hemingway Editor8, WhiteSmoke9, Slick Write10, Paper Rater11, Reverso12, Online Correction13, Scribens14, Typely, and SpellCheckPlus.
- Subscribe to The Chicago Manual of Style. The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) is the most widely used style guide for American English. It covers topics such as grammar, punctuation, capitalization, numbers, abbreviations, citations, and more. It can help you ensure consistency and accuracy in your writing. You can access the online version of CMOS for a yearly fee of $39 or a monthly fee of $5. You can also buy the print version for about $70.
- Listen to your manuscript. Similar to reading out loud, listening to your manuscript can help you catch errors that you might overlook when reading silently. You can use text-to-speech software or apps to convert your text into audio and listen to it. You can also record yourself reading your manuscript and play it back.
- Search for troubling words. Troubling words are words that are often confused, misspelled, misused, or mispronounced. They can cause errors and misunderstandings in your writing. Some examples of troubling words are affect/effect, accept/except, advice/advise, their/there/they’re, loose/lose, etc. You can use the find function in your word processor or online tool to search for these words and check if you have used them correctly.
- Remove or replace your crutch words. Crutch words are words that you use too often or unnecessarily in your writing. They can weaken your writing and make it sound repetitive or dull. Some examples of crutch words are very, really, just, actually, basically, etc. You can use the find function in your word processor or online tool to search for these words and remove or replace them with stronger or more specific words.
- Remove all double spaces at the end of sentences. Double spaces at the end of sentences are a relic of the typewriter era. They are no longer necessary or recommended in modern writing. They can cause formatting issues and inconsistencies in your book. You can use the find and replace function in your word processor or online tool to search for double spaces and replace them with single spaces.
- Search for problematic punctuation. Punctuation marks are essential for clarity and readability in your writing. However, they can also cause errors and confusion if used incorrectly or inconsistently. You should pay attention to the following punctuation marks and make sure you use them correctly: commas, apostrophes, quotation marks, hyphens, dashes, colons, semicolons, parentheses, brackets, ellipses, etc. You can use the find function in your word processor or online tool to search for these punctuation marks and check if you have used them correctly.
- Run spell check or use an automated editing program. Spell check is a feature in most word processors and online tools that can help you identify and correct spelling errors in your writing. However, spell check is not infallible and can miss some errors or suggest wrong corrections. Therefore, you should always proofread your writing manually after running spell check. You can also use an automated editing program such as Grammarly or Pro Writing Aid to check your writing for spelling and other errors.
References
1. Grammarly: https://www.grammarly.com/
2. Language Tool: https://languagetool.org/
3. Pro Writing Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/
4. Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/
5. Ginger Software: https://www.gingersoftware.com/
6. Grammar Lookup: https://www.grammarlookup.com/
7. Antidote: https://www.antidote.info/en
8. Hemingway Editor: http://www.hemingwayapp.com/
9. WhiteSmoke: https://www.whitesmoke.com/
10. Slick Write: https://www.slickwrite.com/
11. Paper Rater: https://www.paperrater.com/
12. Reverso: https://www.reverso.net/spell-checker/english-spelling-grammar/
13. Online Correction