One of the most hurtful comments you will get on the Internet as an online writer or blogger is something that ridicules you because of a wrong spelling or grammar in your work. As a human being, you are prone to commit mistakes; no one can argue against that. However, publishing a work of literature without rereading, reviewing, editing, and proofreading your product is a big NO-NO. In the online world, you surely do not want to be humiliated by an Internet troll just because of a missed-out spelling and/or grammar mistake.
Most publishing companies, including online ones, have proofreaders and quality assurance teams to make sure no typo gets published. However, whether you are self-publishing or submitting your work to another publisher, it is obligatory for you to proofread and edit your writing before it gets read by people from all over the world.
For most article writers, rereading their work right after writing it up is second nature to them, with the aim of reviewing the sense of the article and looking for spelling and grammatical errors. However, rereading the article just immediately after finishing the write-up may not be effective if your objective is to proofread and correct the unwanted mistakes. Sometimes, you get too excited and proud of yourself for accomplishing a feat that you miss a lot of typos out. These typos remain in the article for all people to see once it gets published.
If I were you, do not be satisfied by just rereading after finishing your write-up. Follow these simple recommendations so you can get rid of typos and save your face from being humiliated by Internet trolls.
Let us admit it, when you are proofreading, your goal is to search for errors and then correct them. It is a 180o antithetic to your objective when you are writing an article, which is conveying a message to your would-be readers.
When you abruptly change your mindset from writing to proofreading, your performance of the latter may not be efficient and effective. My advice is to get your writing off your head first before attempting to proofread. So why not have a doze-off after scribbling? By the time you wake-up, your brain has been refreshed and made ready to perform an effective proofreading – making yourself a grammar and spelling Gestapo of your own piece.
If you do not want to sleep, why not do some other stuff for a couple of hours or so? Once you are done with your prose, get up from your writing seat and cook, watch TV, jog, talk to a friend, or stroll around the neighborhood. Again, your goal in doing this is to have a fresh reboot so that, by the time you get back to your write-up, your brain will be ripe to review, proofread, and edit your work.
It should not hurt to ask the help of a friend or loved one in proofreading your article. Most of the time, what you missed when you are the one reviewing your own work can be spotted on by a trusted person. This is the reason why quality audits are assigned to third parties.
Here is a caveat, though: Make sure your third party is indeed willing and competent enough with English grammar and spelling. Otherwise, it will just be a waste of time for you and your companion.
My best suggestion is to do all the 3 listed above. The more stringent the proofreading and editing methods are, the better. Your article becomes a repellent for online trolls whose mission is to make fun of authors who publish their work carelessly. Also, I believe that there is a benefit if you reread your article and try to look for errors even after you have published your work online.
Most publishing companies, including online ones, have proofreaders and quality assurance teams to make sure no typo gets published. However, whether you are self-publishing or submitting your work to another publisher, it is obligatory for you to proofread and edit your writing before it gets read by people from all over the world.
For most article writers, rereading their work right after writing it up is second nature to them, with the aim of reviewing the sense of the article and looking for spelling and grammatical errors. However, rereading the article just immediately after finishing the write-up may not be effective if your objective is to proofread and correct the unwanted mistakes. Sometimes, you get too excited and proud of yourself for accomplishing a feat that you miss a lot of typos out. These typos remain in the article for all people to see once it gets published.
If I were you, do not be satisfied by just rereading after finishing your write-up. Follow these simple recommendations so you can get rid of typos and save your face from being humiliated by Internet trolls.
1. Sleep over it
Let us admit it, when you are proofreading, your goal is to search for errors and then correct them. It is a 180o antithetic to your objective when you are writing an article, which is conveying a message to your would-be readers.
When you abruptly change your mindset from writing to proofreading, your performance of the latter may not be efficient and effective. My advice is to get your writing off your head first before attempting to proofread. So why not have a doze-off after scribbling? By the time you wake-up, your brain has been refreshed and made ready to perform an effective proofreading – making yourself a grammar and spelling Gestapo of your own piece.
2. Do something else
If you do not want to sleep, why not do some other stuff for a couple of hours or so? Once you are done with your prose, get up from your writing seat and cook, watch TV, jog, talk to a friend, or stroll around the neighborhood. Again, your goal in doing this is to have a fresh reboot so that, by the time you get back to your write-up, your brain will be ripe to review, proofread, and edit your work.
3. Ask a willing companion
It should not hurt to ask the help of a friend or loved one in proofreading your article. Most of the time, what you missed when you are the one reviewing your own work can be spotted on by a trusted person. This is the reason why quality audits are assigned to third parties.
Here is a caveat, though: Make sure your third party is indeed willing and competent enough with English grammar and spelling. Otherwise, it will just be a waste of time for you and your companion.
Lastly…
My best suggestion is to do all the 3 listed above. The more stringent the proofreading and editing methods are, the better. Your article becomes a repellent for online trolls whose mission is to make fun of authors who publish their work carelessly. Also, I believe that there is a benefit if you reread your article and try to look for errors even after you have published your work online.
What is an Internet troll?
Youtube video courtesy of AVbyte
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Pointing out spelling/grammar mistakes definitely does not qualify as trolling.
ReplyDeleteIt all depends on the intention. If the person just wants to correct an error, then that is noble. If he or she just wants to piss off the author, then the slightest typo can be an opportunity to do so.
DeleteProof read and beat them to the punch.
DeleteProof read your work. Should'nt be an issue after that.
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ReplyDelete