Congratulations on completing your manuscript! While reaching this milestone is a great achievement, there is still much to be done to make your work stand out and captivate your audience.
The next important step is to proofread your manuscript, which may seem simple but can be quite challenging. However, no challenge is too big to overcome when you are prepared to face it.
If you are unsure how to make proofreading easier, here are some helpful tips to consider.
Keep a Clear Mind
One of the biggest mistakes you can make while proofreading is to rush this endeavor. Rushing results in carelessness, and carelessness leads to unfortunate mistakes in your work. You can avoid this from happening by taking a deep breath and clearing your mind.
The best thing you can do is to take a break after you have written your manuscript. Do not rush into proofreading your work exhausted. You are likely to make mistakes when you are tired. Hence, it is always a good idea to step away from your manuscript for some time after you have completed writing.
It is best to use this time to celebrate the milestone of successfully writing your manuscript and planning what lies ahead.
Kill the Distractions
Once you sit down to proofread your manuscript, you want to be fully focused so that even the smallest mistakes are identified and fixed. It is impossible for you to improve your work if you are distracted again and again.
Make sure to eliminate distractions like the sound of the television or your phone pinging to focus better on your manuscript. This practice can help you ensure that not even a single missing comma or extra space goes unidentified.
If you are struggling with focusing on your work because of distractions, you can always buy a quality pair of headphones to block out the noise. Such interventions can help you focus on your work.
Try Different Times
According to sleep doctor Dr. Micheal Breus, learning is most effective when the brain is in acquisition mode, generally between 10:00 am to 2:00 p.m. and then again from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Just like you probably write better at different times, you will also proofread effectively at selected times.
You can try proofreading at different times of the day and night. During all your attempts, make sure you analyze when you are most focused and productive. Once you figure this out, you can manage your schedule accordingly.
Cover in Bits
Remember to spread out your work and tackle it in small sections. This approach will help you catch mistakes and improve the quality of your effort. Proofreading your manuscript all at once can lead to overlooking errors.
As mentioned earlier, you must never rush proofreading your manuscript. You can take days and even weeks to proofread your manuscript. After all, you will agree that it is better for your work to be submitted late than to be published riddled with errors.
Rest Well
If you think that proofreading your manuscript as many times a day as possible is the key to its success, think again. In reality, the eradication of errors in your manuscript has nothing to do with the time you spend on proofreading. All your efforts can be useless if you are not well-rested.
Instead of zoning out and rereading the same line again and again, you can get a lot more done when you are well-rested.
If you feel exhausted, do not force yourself to read another line or one more chapter. Instead, listen to your mind and body and take the much-needed break.
In addition to taking frequent breaks during your proofreading sessions, make sure that you also prioritize plenty of sleep. This gesture of being kind to your mind can pay well in the long run.
Read Out Loud
Reading a manuscript out loud is a suggestion that many authors often overlook. If you are planning to do the same, you might be missing out on a great opportunity. Reading your manuscript out loud is a chance for you to sound every word.
When you see a long word, your brain autocorrects it, so it still looks right, even if it is misspelled. Break down words longer than three syllables and focus on each syllable to catch mistakes.
Reading out loud may feel awkward initially, but this practice can be the best opportunity for you to catch missing words or words written out twice. Your brain may miss out on filling in some blanks when you are reading to yourself. However, it does not stand a chance when you are reading out loud.
Hide the Line Below
When reading a manuscript, it is easy to become distracted by the lines below the one you are reading. This can lead to reduced focus and cause you to miss mistakes. Such seemingly small problems can have huge consequences.
Instead of making compromises with this distraction, you can use an object such as a ruler or a bookmark to hide the line below. This small addition to your proofreading routine can make a significant difference in your ability to point out and fix errors in your manuscript.
Hire a Professional
Even if you have proofread your manuscript several times, you can never be sure that it is rid of all possible errors. Your brain is a complex organ that may have filled in some blanks on your behalf, making it impossible for you to point out and fix errors.
Instead of living with the uncertainty of not knowing whether your manuscript is completely error-free or not, you can seek the services of freelance proofreading professionals. These professionals are experts you can count on when it comes to getting rid of big and small errors in your manuscript.
A proofreader can check for all errors in your manuscript, such as misspellings, punctuation errors, formatting issues, and inconsistencies, to correct your manuscript and prepare it for publishing.
