Indie writers get a lot of flak for their lack of proofreading. And quite honestly, some of it is justified. Although, the big corporate publishers have released proofreading horrors as well. I’ve read those books and am glad I bought them used and not at full price.
But no writer need have a problem with producing a clean text. And I’m going to tell you a very simple solution to your proofreading and line editing headache.
Read Out Loud
My writing method dates back to high school and college. I write my story longhand. Then I type it, and make corrections as I type. Once typed, I read the story, catch the typos, and maybe make a line edit or two. Then comes the trick that I read about years ago, but took a long time to put into practice.
I read the story out loud. Reading out loud brings your ear into play. Your ear will catch those clunky sentences that you thought looked okay, but they don’t read okay.
Reading out loud, also helps to catch typos and wrong words. Those things your eye glossed over, but of which your tongue and ear are less forgiving.
When I started reading out loud, I began getting a much smoother text than just letting my eyes catch things.
The ear and the tongue are invaluable assistants to the eye. Use them to get a cleaner text.
The Computer Reads
Yep. I let my MacBook read the text to me — while I visually follow along. Don’t close your eyes here!
By listening to someone else read your story (yes, you could use a human to read your story to you), you catch things that sound off.
The advantage of the computer over a human is that the computer reads exactly what is on the page. It doesn’t have a brain that compensates for your mistakes. And if you are reading the text as the computer reads, you will catch even more goofs you made.
No Money
Neither of the above editing tips cost a cent. They are available to everyone. Yet, I’m surprised how few writers use them!
By bringing in your other senses and by using the technology you already paid for, you can get a very clean text. Which will make your readers happy.
There’s no reason to write a good story and then ruin the reader’s experience with a sloppy text. None.
Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy editing!
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Absolutely right! Letting the computer read it to you has an added advantage as well: When I read my own text, silently or aloud, my eye will correct typos, and many pass unnoticed. But let’s say I type “compuer;” my eye might miss that, but when the computer reads some garbled pronunciation of a non-existent word, alarm bells go off, and it gets fixed! More great advice for the indie, my friend. I may at some point have to start taking you seriously!
Love that illustration, Jack! Thanks for stopping by and contributing!