james c tanner,how to write,how to publish,writer,publish,self-publish,write children's books,publish children's books,create ebooks,publishers,become a writer
james c tanner,how to write,how to publish,writer,publish,self-publish,write children's books,publish children's books,create ebooks,publishers,become a writer
james c tanner,how to write,how to publish,writer,publish,self-publish,write children's books,publish children's books,create ebooks,publishers,become a writer
james c tanner,how to write,how to publish,writer,publish,self-publish,write children's books,publish children's books,create ebooks,publishers,become a writer
james c tanner,how to write,how to publish,writer,publish,self-publish,write children's books,publish children's books,create ebooks,publishers,become a writer
james c tanner,how to write,how to publish,writer,publish,self-publish,write children's books,publish children's books,create ebooks,publishers,become a writer
james c tanner,how to write,how to publish,writer,publish,self-publish,write children's books,publish children's books,create ebooks,publishers,become a writer
James C. Tanner
Writer, Speaker, and Business Coach
5 Proofreading Tips
Which Lead to Quality
Articles and Manuscripts
May 1, 2010

-- James C. Tanner
Copyright 2010 James C. Tanner. All rights reserved.
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It doesn't matter who you are, or where you are
in the writing industry, proofreading skills are a
continual part of the editing process. Writing
articles and manuscripts require this effort
before any article or manuscript can be
submitted to a publisher for consideration.

While there are many tips or words of advice
one can be given when it comes to
proofreading, there are 5 basic proofreading tips
which any beginner or experienced writer
should consider.
Tip #1 -- Dust Off Your Article Or Manuscript

Many writers, including myself, when pressed by deadlines often make the mistake of scrambling through their writing in an attempt to complete the project and submit
it to publishers in a less than perfect form. What might sound like good reading, while in the fury of writing, after time may reveal numerous inadequacies. Every writer
should afford themself a mental vacation of at least one day's duration from their completed work, then pick it up and dust it off for a judgemental reading. By allowing
yourself to step back for even a short period of time gives you the writer one the opportunity to read your work from a fresh perspective.

Tip #2 -- Read Your Article The Way Your Reader Will Read It.

When writing an article or manuscript, it's easy to get so caught up in the storyline or message that one looses site of who will actually read the article. Time and
energy is spent placing polished and flowery phrases into paragraphs. The thesaurus is squeezed dry from the over use of terms. Soon without realizing it, a writer
can end up with a work which resembles a verbal collage more than a reader friendly article. Some famous writers are known for completing a draft and then taking a
pen in hand crossing out every sixth word to see if the article still makes sense. The practise sounds ridiculous to some, but it demonstrates the importance of creating
a reader friendly work.

The easiest way to teach yourself to read like your reader is to read your work out loud. Giving your ears the ability to hear your work helps you better understand the
way your words are blending together. Speaking your work helps point out grammar challenges, as well as helping you pick up on when you stray from
communicating at your readers level. Articles and manuscripts should present at a communication level comparable to the conversation of your day, not the
conversation level of 50, 100, or 500 years ago, unless of course if your work is a time period related piece where dialogue requires such.

Tip #3 -- Use A Computer Based Editing Tool

After my accident in 2001 and spending years on morphine for pain control, I returned to my writing in 2005. The greatest shock I experienced was realizing how my
spelling and use of grammar had gone downhill. It's important to write today with a computer software program that checks spelling and grammar. DON'T make the
mistake of getting lazy. Grammer checkers often throw out options to you--options which may or may not be appropriate for your desired use.

The best grammar checker continues to be your own mind and one of the best ways to train your mind is to spend time reading other works. Reading trains your eye
to see words in proper placement.
Tip #4 -- Work Your Words

A common mistake made by every writer is failing to work their words in such a way so no
sentence requires another for strength. Every sentence should be a stand alone string of
words that communicate.

I have often used the imagery of a train to describe sentence structure. The first sentence is
the train engine. Alone it can function, but when sentences are lined up behind it, a good first
sentence should draw the reader to the second sentence. The second sentence should draw
a reader to the third sentence, and the third to the fourth, so on and so on.

At any point in your work, you should be able to pick out a single sentence and upon reading
it, receive a message without having to rely on the sentences around it. If upon reading the
draft of your article or manuscript, then it's important to take time and re-work your words in
such a way so as to promote a strong independent sentence structure.

It's important to remind everyone--use words your reader can understand. There's a time and
place for highly intellectual debate and linguistics, but those times are few and far between. I
am thankful for the years I have spent cleaning stalls in horse barns, the lessons I learned
there in those stalls have helped me to remember, simple is not only sufficient, but eloquent.
Tip #5 -- Watch Your Grammar

On this subject, I'll share with you my personal experience from my own learning curve.

There are some common mistakes that many people make repeatedly especially when they get caught up typing with great speed and fail to take proper time to
proofread a work. Grammar is important if you want your article or manuscript to be taken serously.

Punctuation is important. Every sentence should stop and start. Capitals and periods should appear in every sentence.

Verbs should match the subject and be in the proper tense. You shouldn't use a present tense verb to describe a past action.

Paragraphs should have more than one sentence, and while there is no limit to the number of sentences one can put into a paragraph, it's best to target four
sentences as an average. Internet articles look best when a parapgraph is four lines in length based on a set number of characters per line. If four lines can be
achieved in three sentences or six, then it's considered acceptable.

Watch your contractions--this is an easy mistake for any person to make and I should know. The terms "its" and "it's" represent two different messages. "It's" is a
contraction for the term "it is" or "it has". "Its" is a possessive pronoun used to identify an item that belongs to another.

Writing an article or manuscript for publication does require some effort on the part of any writer. Proofreading is part of the nurturing process of a work.
Publishing an article or manuscript is the fruition of that nurturing.