5 simple tricks you need to know about proofreading your own work
First published October 5 2017: This article has been updated and improved.
I’ll be the first to admit I was a woeful speller at school.
In fact I almost repeated because I was so bad!
But over the years as a print editor I’ve read a lot of copy and seen the same mistakes crop up time and again.
The good thing is these common writing pitfalls are not hard to fix when you are polishing your autobiography, memoir, biography or life-story manuscript.
Here are five proofreading tips to clean up your writing today…
1. Proofreading tips: Spelling and grammar
Don’t beat yourself up about this too much.
You are writing your autobiography for your friends and family and they will be more interested in your story than how you write.
That said, your story will be clearer if you take the time to clean up spelling and grammar problems.
A computer spellcheck is always a help but don’t rely on it to pick up incorrect word use.
And be wary it is set correctly for your preferred language – eg US English or Australian English.
Try to clear your mind before you sit down to proofread.
Reading aloud or to someone else can help you pick up most mistakes.
Also enlarging the font of the page you are proofreading can make errors pop out at you.
My preferred method is to read each sentence once carefully, focusing on each word and how it is spelt.
Then I will re-read the sentence a bit faster to double-check grammar and punctuation.
2. Don’t get too tense
It might seem obvious but this can be a tricky one for many.
Tense refers to time: an event happening now (present tense), has taken place (past tense) or sometime in the future (future tense).
Autobiographies are written in past tense because the events have already happened.
Of course a heading, introduction or epilogue can be in present tense.
Mixed tenses are easy to pick when you are looking for them.
As you read look for past-tense words and make sure they continue right through each sentence.
“I was very busy with my after-school activities that included netball, swimming and water polo.”
“We would wake up at 5am and ride our mountain bikes in the dark to the surf beach, lured by the sound of the sets pounding the gritty sand.”
Related article –Ask Nicola Q&A: Revising and editing autobiography stories
3. What’s in a name?
It might not seem like a big deal but if you accidentally misspell someone’s name, guaranteed they will let you know – or their mother will!
It is easy to get a name wrong but it is twice as easy to check.
You can simply: ask the person to spell it for you, ask a family member, check family trees and other documents or even crosscheck using searches online.
The internet is also a great place to confirm historical dates, place names and easily make Imperial conversions for say baby weights, salaries, etc.
Just make sure you use reliable websites to confirm your facts!
Related article –Writing and editing: 3 things your writing teacher is looking for during a coaching call
4. Go figure!
Numbers and capitals often trip people up.
The easy rule for numbers is to spell them out one to nine and use numerals from 10 onwards.
You can include commas from 10,000 onwards.
Capitals are a bit like rabbits: they can breed and multiply in your writing until the page is jumping with them!
Keep capitals for proper names. If in doubt, leave them out.
I like to refer to the Macquarie Dictionary to have the final say if I’m unsure.
Spell them out in the first instance and use the acronym thereafter.
For example:
“I grew up in New South Wales and studied at university in Queensland. I returned to NSW after my studies but moved back to Qld within three years.”
Related article –What a professional print sub-editor knows about editing autobiographies
5. Picture perfect
Headings and pictures are usually the number one things that grab a reader’s attention so you need to make extra sure these are correct.
While the body of your story is written in past tense, you want your photo captions to be in present tense.
This is because you are looking at a moment in time so technically the ‘event’ is happening right now.
A well-written caption will address the 5Ws & H – WHO is there, WHAT is happening, WHEN is it happening (date and time etc), WHERE (the location), WHY it is happening, and HOW it is happening.
Don’t be shy about adding any extra details you might have, especially if these didn’t make the cut in your chapters.
Try to think of facts that can’t be ‘seen’ in the picture to add more depth.
Perhaps it is a photo of a family in front of a new home – you could note who is missing and why or say how much the house cost to build etc.
Related article – How to write a book title: Catchy headlines and good book titles
Final say: Proofreading tips
Improve your writing by using proofreading tips including: looking closely at spelling and grammar, tenses, names and facts, numbers and capitals, and picture captions.
You have invested so much time and love into writing your autobiography it makes so much sense to polish away basic errors.
While these proofreading tips will help you eliminate major clangers, be aware no matter how many times you check your life story you will find one or two more errors – we are only human!
Do the best you can and be proud of your legacy.
Happy writing!
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Your say on proofreading tips
What are your top proofreading tips? I always love hearing what works for different people. And did you see any typos in this article?! Drop me an email or leave a reply in the comments section below at the end of this post.
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This article first appeared on the website Forever Young Autobiographies.com.
