Editing your own work

One problem for writers is the frequent need to edit our own work. This can be for many reasons. We know it is not ideal, but we find ourselves having to do it.  Sometimes we can find a friend or relative to look the work over, or a recent graduate who is prepared to do the edit pro bono in return for a reference, but these cannot be fully trusted so we still have to do a final edit.

Here are some tips on how to self-edit. I compiled this from a discussion on a LinkedIn group, Publishing and editing professionals. You won't use all these techniques, but you can find a few that work for you.

ONLINE

1. Run your spellchecker and grammar checker at the maximum possible settings.
2. Write out a list of a range of checks you can do on-line for things you know you get wrong. Then do one at a time. You can use the new search feature on the Navigation Pane of Word 2010 to help with this.
3. Get a proofreading software product such as PerfectIt. http://www.intelligentediting.com/default.aspx
4. Increase the zoom so that you read with one eye movement per line.

PAPER

1. Print out a hard-copy rather than editing on-line, or even better, self publish on Lulu, order a printed copy, and edit the delivered book.  It looks and feels so different it may as well be someone else's work.
2. Leave the hard-copy sitting for a week or two after you last worked on-line.
3. Use a ruler or straight edge so that you only see one line at a time.
4. If you have voice on your computer, get your copy electronically read back to you.
5. Read your printed copy out loud, slowly and clearly, line by line or sentence by sentence.
6. Read your printed copy word by word backwards.
7. Read your printed copy sentence by sentence backwards.
8. Take your printed copy to a different environment. (I go to a coffee shop.)
9. Turn the page upside down.