It was a challenge writing this one even though I knew what I wanted to say. I had some knowledge and experience to work with but I needed it to be useful for somebody else. The tool I'm using for this post made itself unforgettable but not in that Nat King Cole way. I was constantly reminded that this post needed writing - how though? Every ad on YouTube at one point was only Grammarly ads and still is. So I have given in to the reminders, here it is finally. If you have any other suggestions once you finish reading, please feel free to leave a comment.
1 | - Do the very things that scare you as a writer i.e. trying different writing styles, formats, language use.
2 | - Be that friend that can be relied on for opinions on work and projects.
2.1 - I have proofread everything from legal letters to business proposals and even personal statements for job applications. Being honest with my opinions I have found that those friends or people who had asked for help tended to agree with the changes I suggested.
2.2 - Don't limit your scope.
2.3 - There's a word I'm looking for and can't find at this moment. [Description: when someone dictates and another writes, almost like a personal assistant or secretary does for a boss]. The point is not to limit your scope but rather use this as an opportunity to see how you will improve what is written once the listening is done. Bringing that text to its final form, the process of it.
2.4 - Sometimes you will be writing, proofreading & offering your opinion but don't overwhelm yourself. Start with one then develop the rest.
3 | - I developed this skill further in College [university].
3.1 - Being smart and approachable in college works to your benefit. Not only will people trust your perspective and knowledge but they know you'll gain nothing copying their work.
3.2 - Build trust with folks. It will soon become a free exercise that keeps your knowledge tested and improves your understanding.
3.3 - People who don't have the same majors or even the same degree as you will ask for your help. Guess what that is also to your benefit. You might even learn a few things while reading.
3.4 - Some of my best proofreading exercises have come when I knew nothing about the subject. In these instances I just scanned documents for grammar, sentence structure, shortening long sentences, checking spelling and the overall look of a document. I guess you can say that after a while yes, girlfriend can proofread and improve your esthetic at the same time.
4 | - Learn to read others' work. It brings out the perfectionist in you.
4.1 - Actually READ their work for what it was before your mind went into proofreader mode.
4.2 - You will be tempted to switch the text to your thinking but you have to remember to keep the integrity of their work while polishing it to a standard.
4.3 - Keep their thoughts visible but don't be afraid to use that strikethrough.
4.4 - Try to make sense of their work before you leave the red questions (refer to 9.2). You need something to form the basis of your questions, so they know how to bring their ideas to a coherent place.
4.5 - Once again, just in case you didn't see it 'don't be afraid to use that strikethrough'.
5 | - Being the best writer you can be, requires that you go out of your comfort to continually learn, expand your mind and stretch your creativity.
5.1 - Critique what you write. You can only honestly do this when you step away and forget that it's your work. Kind of hard, I know but you have to try.
5.2 - Practice makes perfect. Attentive readers make great proofreaders.
5.3 - Pay attention. When you're reading books, what do you notice? When you read for classes or work what do you notice in those documents? Learn from them and make use of what you find the next time you have the job of proofreader - where relevant of course.
6 | - Do not be afraid to use the Internet as a resource, there are plenty of poorly written captions, comments and blog posts for you to practice with.
6.1 - Do not get the identity of 'grammar police' attached to your online presence. Rather copy those sections of text and place them in a Word document or whatever program you use. Next turn that text red and, below it type in black with the corrections. Analyze what makes it so bad, what can be improved and more.
6.2 - You can write several edits. Edits with a few word changes. Edits with a different structure. Edits that rewrite the text. An edit that refines but keeps the integrity of the original text. There are so many ways to challenge yourself.
7 | - The dictionary is your best friend.
7.1 - Is the word simple? Do you know what it means? Yes, but I just need to check if it's used in the right context.
7.2 - "Yes, but I just need to check if it's used in the right context." I totally feel you and so do many of my poet friends on Instagram. You are not alone.
7.3 - Don't forget that a thesaurus is welcome too, we need help with synonyms and bringing those documents to a coherent place.
8 | - Nobody benefits from you trying to be nice.
8.1 - So dice, chop and take apart those pages, those paragraphs or documents.
8.2 - Be truthful and a little ruthless. If the sentence has got to go, it has got to go.
8.3 - Grammarly doesn't play when it thinks you have changes to make, so why should you.
8.3 - Grammarly doesn't play when it thinks you have changes to make, so why should you.
9 | - Are you open to multiple formats?
9.1 - A printed document or electronic document.
9.2 - For the printed document (go into teacher mode with a black and red pen) black is for the minor edits and red is for highlighting bigger changes to be made or questions you have for the owner of the document.
9.3 - Questions are for clarity, getting context. Asking if your understanding of the paragraph was, what they intended for it to be.
9.4 - Electronic documents do have their difficulties but in my opinion are easier. Just highlight text, add comments and create color codes for things you've highlighted in the text.
10 | - What's that weird habit? Own it.
10.1 - I confess that I can't read documents in anything besides justified. It feels uncomfortable. If I don't have a choice I try my best, but you better believe I feel like I'm being punished inside.
10.2 - Sometimes formatting a document before I decide to even start reading it. (I actually did this before I read this blog post through from beginning to end, so it's a habit)
This post was checked through Grammarly. I used this tool just to play with the idea of proofreading tools. Although the tool
in the case of this post is a human being who you trust.
