Editing your Own Articles

All writers need a good editor...especially me!

          Before the Internet, the articles we read were typically from magazines and newspapers. Normally, those articles went through an editing process, to correct grammar and spelling errors, not to mention complete re-writes or fact checking. Writers weren’t necessarily superior, but they had editors. 
          One of the pitfalls of Internet publishing – such as personal websites or blogs – is that articles posted may have just gone through one individual, the writer.  The article you are reading is such an example.  I might take great strides to edit and proof this piece, but the fact is there will probably be errors.
          Even if I was a spelling bee champ (which I’m not) and a grammar guru (nope, not me) there would be mistakes.  Our mind can play games with us, such as when we read a line with a missing word and our brain “inserts” the word, making it impossible for us to catch the error. Some writers use tricks, such as reading the piece backwards, something I can’t wrap myself around. Reading the article aloud is one way to catch some mistakes. Another suggestion is to re-edit the article in a day or so. Removing yourself from the piece for a block of time makes it easier to catch errors you originally missed.
          There are a few other tricks.  They aren’t the ideal fix, and there is no replacement for a good copy editor.  Yet, if it is just you and your computer, perhaps this will help.

Don't Rely Solely on Spell Check

          Spell check is a wonderful tool. Unfortunately, spell check won’t catch homophones, such as “their” for “there.” If stumped by a homophone, do the old-fashioned thing and look up the word in the dictionary. Instead of a dictionary, highlight the word (if using a word processor such as Word or Word Perfect) and put it through the thesaurus tool, which will give you other words with similar meanings. If those words aren’t close to what you meant, then perhaps you have the wrong word and it is time to drag out the dictionary. This trick only takes a few seconds. In Word, this feature is in Tools, under Language instead of Spell Check.
          Use your spell check and grammar check feature on your word processor. Write your original article in your word processor, and then cut and paste it to your page.  Unfortunately, there are some online templates at different writing sites that freak out when you cut and paste from Word, adding all sorts of gibberish. Not sure if Word Perfect has this issue, but I have experienced it with Word. How to get around this problem?
          First, use the Firefox browser, with its spell check, to help you identify misspelled words.  Go ahead and write your article in the template and then copy and paste the article into a blank document, using your word processor.  Don’t cut the article – copy.  This enables you to utilize your word processor features, through the back door.
          After you’ve cut and pasted the article, go ahead and use the grammar and spell check features (and check for homophones) and then make corrections on the template.  If you are using Word (a version prior to 2007) there is one more trick you can do that is a big help.

Take Advantage of Microsoft Reader

          Begin by downloading the free Microsoft Reader add-on. This will enable you to create a Microsoft Reader document from your Word document.   The icon for the add-on looks like a little tree, and it is a free download from the Microsoft website. The last time I tried, it didn’t work with Word 2007.
          To use the feature, first save your Word document and then click the little tree icon to create a Microsoft Reader Document. You can then open the document and “play” it back to you. In other words, the little robot voice will read your article to you  - out loud.  Since it is a computer, it won’t skip or add words, as your brain might.  Listen to it read your article, and listen for errors. This is an excellent way to catch mistakes. 
          If you are reading this and find errors, feel free to email me with corrections. I confess; I need all the help I can get.

10-21-2009 Bobbi Holmes