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Business Proofreading Tips Other Proofreaders Don!t

Want You to Know

8 Essays About Crafting

Flawless Documents

Written by Stefanie Flaxman, Founder/Editor Revision Fairy® Small Business Proofreading Services revisionfairy.com | September 2010

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Copyright © 2010 Revision Fairy®. Some rights reserved.

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Business Proofreading Tips

Other Proofreaders Don!t Want You to Know

8 Essays About Crafting Flawless Documents

Introduction: Remember Simplicity? – 4 – Become a Better Proofreader in 3 Steps – 5 – What Laundry Can Teach You About Persuasive Writing – 7 – Question From a Proofreader: Boxers or Briefs? – 9 – How to Utilize Twitter as the Ultimate Writing Exercise – 11 – The Intersection of Your Vision Blvd. and Writer!s Block Rd. – 13 – Three Quick Ways to Perfect Your Résumé – 15 – The Secret to Executing Your Writing Goals – 17 – What Batman Can Teach You About Proofreading – 19 –

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Introduction: Remember Simplicity?

Life!s simple. People tend to make it complicated—with actions and words. I!ve compiled the following essays to remind you of straightforward writing techniques that help you communicate your message effectively. !

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Become a Better Proofreader in 3 Steps The main difficulty in proofreading your own text is simple: you have trouble recognizing your own typos, grammar mistakes, and inaccuracies. You know what you want to say; it!s just not always communicated in your writing. When you act as your own proofreader, you may often overlook mistakes because your eye doesn!t recognize them as mistakes. You may even finish reading a sentence without actually reading the words on the page—the sentence already sounds correct in your mind since you know the meaning it is supposed to convey. Here are three proofreading practices that will help train your eye to catch more of your own errors. 1. Find Your Proofreader Alter Ego. The Batman to your Bruce Wayne, the Superman to your Clark Kent. You need to look at your text as though you were not the person who wrote it, but someone with a superior eye for detail who does not know what you intended to write. After you are done with your first draft, take a break from writing and reading. Spend time doing different activities before you edit your text. It!s important to plan a break and go back to your text at a later time, rather than writing and editing in one sitting. 2. Compare and Contrast. Inconsistencies occur in fiction and nonfiction. They make your text look sloppy and are often a matter of style, rather than grammar. What superpowers should your alter ego possess to combat inconsistencies, you may ask? To start: memory. Make mental notes of specific terms as you review your text. For example, the term “copy editing” is also often spelled “copyediting,” or “copy-editing;” “proofreader” may be written as “proof reader.” Is there a character named “Ann” in your novel? Make sure the proper name is not sometimes spelled

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“Ann,” and other times “Anne.” Are you writing about Walmart? Do you refer to the company as “Walmart,” “WalMart,” and “Wal-Mart?” Pick one style and make sure that you use it consistently. A similar genre of errors includes typos that are properly spelled words (and therefore not caught when you use spell-check), but are not actually the words that you intend to use. You could type “over” instead of “oven,” “of” instead of “off,” “peer” instead of “pier,” etc. The possibilities are endless. A thorough proofreading will eliminate these flaws. 3. Say What? Read your text out loud, paying attention to each word. It!s equally important to pay attention to punctuation. Your proofreader alter ego also comes in handy here. Enunciate the words and pause for punctuation as someone who has never read the text before. Is it clear? This technique may identify sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and other abridged or convoluted thoughts. When a sentence is weak, and does not express the proper message, it is usually either incomplete or contains too many ideas for one single sentence. To dissect your writing, pay attention to the sounds of words joined together to make up a sentence. Do the words flow naturally, or have you read for five minutes without taking a breath? Once you break it down, you!ll spot the areas that need improvement.

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What Laundry Can Teach You About Persuasive Writing There are many tasks that you may not finish in a short time period: spring cleaning, filing paperwork, organizing your DVD collection, etc. Laundry is not one of these activities. Once you start your laundry, there!s no turning back—you complete the ritual in a limited amount of time. Each step directly helps achieve your goal. The endeavor is efficient, and once you!re done, you have a fresh batch of clean clothes. Persuasive writing should be approached in the same finite number of steps, where a tight, cohesive

product emerges from your focused effort. Here are three steps from your laundry routine that you can apply to your writing habits. Sort it. Before you whip out the detergent and fabric softener, get organized. You may need to separate your clothes into individual batches. Do you set aside a specific load for white items? Are there garments that need to be washed with cold water? Or delicate fabrics that need to be hand washed? In order to clean your clothes properly, you don!t just throw everything together in the washing machine. You make special accommodations for high priority items. When writing, get your priorities in order. Make sure that you clearly state your motives. Capture the reader!s attention by immediately expressing the benefits of reading your text—let your audience know what they!ll learn or gain if they continue reading.

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A number of your creative ideas may not be appropriate for your current project. Save those thoughts for another time, and concentrate on the essential pieces of information that you need to convey your message. Clean it. The wash cycle is the main event during laundry festivities. It!s the crucial step that transforms your dirty clothes back into a functional part of your wardrobe. In front of your keyboard, your intentions turn into text. Once you figure out what you need to express to your audience, support your point with details. You!ve intrigued the reader with a provocative proposition; now turn the reader into a serious client or buyer. Whether you!re selling a product, advertising an event, or promoting your blog, there is an action that you want the reader to take—buy your product, attend your event, or subscribe to your blog. Each sentence should reinforce this aim. Compel the reader to follow up with the appropriate action by adding elements to your text that make inaction seem foolish. What advantage will the reader obtain if he or she responds to your request? Dry it. Since you don!t want to put wet, soggy clothes away in your closet, your task is not complete simply because your soiled items are now clean. Time in the dryer preps your laundry for proper storage among your other clean clothing. When you have transformed a blank page into a clear piece of writing that communicates your message, take a break. Give your eyes and your brain a rest from the topic before you proofread. Also, have another individual proofread the text before you consider it complete. A proofreader who is unfamiliar with your objective can help determine if your writing is effective—as well as help correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

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Question From a Proofreader: Boxers or Briefs? As a proofreader, I enjoy reading all types of writing—from a paragraph on the back of a cereal box to a 300-page novel. Effective writing, regardless of the length, utilizes the concept of brevity. A well-written 300-page novel may actually be brief. The author just needs 300 pages to tell the story accurately. The excessive version might have been 500 pages. Brevity isn!t confined to word count or page length. It!s a writing skill that determines what information is crucial and what unnecessary details should be omitted. A lengthy piece of writing does not necessarily mean that it is better or more profound. Here are three tips that will help you implement the concept of brevity in your writing. Beauty and the brief. The question that I pose in the headline of this article relates to men!s underwear as a way to illustrate my view of brevity. Form fitting, supportive briefs are analogous to strong writing. Be specific and use bold descriptions. Boxers are loose, vague, and representative of weak writing. This confusing style lacks a clear picture of what needs to be revealed. Main points are difficult to decipher because the text is cluttered with extra material. You can inform and engage your reader while maintaining brevity.

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Don!t make your readers guess. The key to clear, concise writing is to state your main point in the beginning of your text. Be explicit. Often times writers like to “tip toe” around what they!re trying to say, leave the reader hanging, and only reveal what they!re trying to communicate at the end of the document. This is a “save the best for last” mentality. Other writers have no intention of making a definitive point. They want the reader to infer their messages. Neither of these techniques produces persuasive writing. A proofreader will help ensure that your writing explains a defined topic. The process of proofreading enables you to get a sense of whether someone else understands what you intended to express. Keep it fresh and interesting. There!s a reason why résumés should be only one page. Intrigue. Take a tip from résumé writing and practice using short, but informative, descriptions. Your goal is to hold the reader!s interest so that she will follow up in the way that you desire. With a résumé, the brief points about your work history should prompt a potential employer to schedule an interview with you. (Save specific details for talking points during the interview). If you!re writing a blog, inspire a reader to subscribe or sign up for your newsletter. Masters of brevity strike a balance between satisfying their audience, so that they!re not teasing their readers, and eliminating ideas that dilute their agenda.

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How to Utilize Twitter as the Ultimate Writing Exercise

The micro-blogging platform Twitter has changed communication. Traditional blogs have evolved into channels for more leisurely reading. They contain the “meaty” stuff that you read when your brain has time to digest long blocks of text. Twitter pages erupt with information that is quick to read, easy to digest, and satisfying—instant gratification. Although 140-character tweets may not be for everyone, condensing your thoughts into 140 characters can be a helpful writing exercise. While maintaining proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation, your ideas should

be universally understood and autonomous. Make each blurb detailed and clear. Here are three ways that you can benefit from the “philosophy of a tweet” without actually posting anything on your Twitter page (remember, it!s just writing practice). Outline 2.0 An outline is a traditional way to organize your thoughts before writing a draft. Instead of listing ideas, headings, or titles, write complete 140-character summaries. You can then arrange these tweet-inspired pieces in the proper order. Your outline will consist of meaningful and direct ways to start the different sections of your draft. Characters in 140 Characters “Just because you are a character doesn!t mean that you have character,” is one of my favorites lines of dialogue from Winston Wolfe (Harvey Keitel) in the film “Pulp Fiction.” Whether you!re writing a screenplay, a novel, or any other type of fiction, succinct descriptions of your characters are important throughout the writing process. When you first introduce a fictional character, you have a limited amount of time to reveal crucial background information to the reader. By the same token, if an investor said that he!d give you $100 million to make a film out of your screenplay based on a brief description of your main character, what would you say? The description better be impressive.

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Think of a business objective, joint venture proposal, or advertising campaign pitch in the same terms. How would you communicate your most vital points in 140 characters to win over a prospective client, partner, or boss? On a personal level, narrow down your character traits and professional interests for networking events. When you only have a moment to describe your employable skills, you!ll be ready. The ability to articulate your top characteristics is ideal for job interviews, as well. You never know when you!ll be put on the spot to describe something important to you in concise terms. Plan ahead and create perfectly phrased tidbits of your most beloved creative ideas. Use 140 characters as a model. Fewer Words, Fewer Errors Unless you are just posting tweets on your Twitter page, your writing project is likely much longer than 140 characters. When you formulate your ideas in 140 characters, however, you!ll find that those potential tweets fit well in your final draft. You won!t have an excessive amount of run-on sentences or unnecessary words to cut out. Each sentence will be initially more cohesive. Refined text requires less editing, and errors are easier to spot.

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The Intersection of Your Vision Blvd. and Writer!s Block Rd. We!ve all been there. One minute you!re smoothly cruising down Your Vision Blvd. in your 1966 Ford Mustang convertible—sunshine, blue skies, 70-degree wind blowing through your hair. All of your ideas are beautifully coordinated into coherent and meaningful sentences. Writer heaven. Then, out of nowhere, gridlock. You!ve stopped moving. It!s bumper-to-bumper traffic and you find yourself perfectly perpendicular to Writer!s Block Rd. as the “Do Not Block Intersection” street sign intensely glares at you. You impatiently tap your finger on the steering wheel as you hope that the light doesn!t turn red, leaving you caught in the middle of the gridlocked traffic. And if the light does turn red, maybe you!ll get away with this little blunder and there won!t be heavy traffic on the road that you are currently blocking? Getting confused? Let me sum up and translate my point before I truly lose you. No matter what genre of writing you do, there are going to be parts of your first draft that are weaker than others. You don!t have a perfectly consistent brain that pumps out an even stream of brilliance. You work at different times, under different circumstances, and while some of your writing may be exactly what you envisioned, there are going to be muddled parts of your text where you struggle to accurately convey your ideas. And are others going to notice? Yes. Rather than have this thought send you into a frenzy of panic, don!t fret. Writers are often their worst critics and nothing can discourage you more than your own disappointment in yourself. So, first thing!s first: If you notice a lull in your creativity, don!t put pressure on yourself to immediately get back on track. Everything isn!t always perfect on the first try. It!s counterproductive to be down on yourself, or your writing, if you happen to hit a bump in the road. You!re not meant to drive on Your Vision Blvd. indefinitely.

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As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in his essay “Self-Reliance,” “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” Become comfortable with less productive phases of your writing journey. They!ll lead you back to stronger and more relevant ideas. While the writing process doesn!t need to be consistent, you don!t want inconsistencies or other flaws to remain in your text, either. So, how do you proceed when you!re in a Writer!s Block Rd. gridlock? The band Journey sings the song “Don!t Stop Believin,!” I say, “Don!t stop writing.” Be patient. After you!ve accepted that you!ve slowed your writing pace and you may need to revisit certain areas of your writing at a later time, make specific notes about “blocked” sections. What were you doing/thinking before your ideas faded? These notes can be about your writing topic or what life circumstances also affected you at the time, and they don!t have to make sense; they!re just for you. Simple notes are important not only to keep you physically writing and thinking, but they can also be useful when you are inspired again. I offer three levels of proofreading services because every piece of writing potentially needs a different type of polishing. My Level III proofreading service caters to writing that needs to be transported from the intersection of Your Vision Blvd. and Writer!s Block Rd. back to the Your Vision Highway. In addition to correcting spelling and grammar errors, I underscore, make suggestions about how to improve, and correct incomplete or vague sections of your text. I love working with writers because it!s my passion to expand on and manipulate others! ideas—making them clear and brilliant, the way the writer intended. You may have trouble explicitly expressing a concept, but a fresh set of eyes can complete your thoughts. Other times, writers may not realize that their ideas weren!t expressed in the way that they intended. An impartial reader, not the original writer, helps identify these confusing sections of text. It!s like I always say, writers and editors go together like peanut butter and jelly. Sometimes you just need to add some peanut butter to your strawberry traffic jam.

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Three Quick Ways To Perfect Your Résumé We!re taught from an early age not to “judge a book by its cover.” Although this mantra is part of common courtesy, in practice, judgments are often made quickly—when a “cover” is all you have. In the job market, this is your résumé. Writing your résumé is scary. You have to contemplate your best qualities and express them in a clear and engaging way. One page must contain information that makes a potential employer want to interview you. When you approach résumé writing from a place of passion,

instead of fear, you!ll get a fresh perspective on the process. Don!t just display your work history; connect with the person reading about your professional experience. Here are three questions to ask when reviewing your résumé. Would you want to read it? The format of your résumé is the true first impression. Before an onlooker reads any words, she gets a sense of your organizational style. Do you use an easy-to-read font? How do you separate sections? How do you present your contact information? The person inspecting your résumé has many other résumés, cover letters, and personal advertisements to read. If your document looks overwhelming, it makes the employer!s job easier—she gets to put it in the “no” pile before she even concentrates on the text. To ensure that your résumé lands in at least one “yes” pile, eliminate long blocks of text. Make someone want to take a closer look at your résumé. While you need to be specific about your qualifications, the one page that showcases your skills needs to have visual appeal. A glance at the document should cause intrigue. Every word on the page should highlight your personality in a

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succinct way. Don!t be afraid of white space. Wouldn!t you rather read short, informative text than excessive, vague descriptions? What makes you unique? When job hunting, you may contemplate how to express that you match a position!s specifications. Instead, shift your focus to what makes you stand out from the crowd. Assume that everyone applying for your desired job has the skills that the employer wants. What personal experiences make you different? What distinctions or awards have you earned at past jobs? What knowledge or abilities make you special? If you write that you have “great time-management and customer service skills,” would anyone applying for the job say that they don!t have “great time-management and customer service skills?” You want to show that you have the necessary experience to handle the job, but you!ll distinguish yourself from other candidates if you demonstrate in a personal way that you have what it takes to rock the position. Have you proofread each word? Although résumés are read quickly, glaring errors are still problematic. When you!ve designed your document to look fresh and clear, mistakes are easily noticeable. The tiniest error can make your résumé look sloppy—or worse—make you look careless. Another aspect of proofreading is viewing the document from the perspective of someone who knows nothing about you. If you state that you worked for “XYZ Company,” but do not give any details about that organization, how is that listing going to benefit you? Your résumé should directly promote you as the best candidate for the job. Omit or revise any words that do not support that goal. Now is not the time to be shy. Make bold statements, have confidence in your intelligence, and get noticed. One of my favorite inspirational quotes pairs well with résumé writing: It!s not who you are that holds you back, it!s who you think you!re not.

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The Secret to Executing Your Writing Goals I won!t leave you hanging. The secret to creating the best possible piece of writing is the ability to believe in yourself. Before you close this PDF and recoil in disgust, let me clarify that I!m not just spewing rainbows, lollipops, and unicorns at you. “Think positive” and “do your best” may seem like empty proclamations, but you can turn those optimistic assertions into an actual writing tool, as pertinent as a word processor, a keyboard, and your phalanges. There!s no shortcut to brilliant writing. A flawless final product emerges from talent, creativity, and meticulous editing. Believing in your abilities without action will not yield results. The practice of optimism helps ignite a passion that transforms your intentions into an artistic arrangement of words. It!s the beginning of your story as a writer. Optimism as a writing instrument is a two-part strategy that consists of theory and mechanics. Here!s an exercise. Think of all the films that you!ve never heard of or seen. I!ll throw a title out there as a starting point: “The Room.” “The Room” is arguably one of the worst movies ever made—horrible acting, inconsistencies galore, nonsensical plot. However, the DVD of “The Room” features a Q&A with writer, director, producer, and star of the film, Tommy Wiseau, and he states one thing that does make sense. Wiseau explains that he had an idea for a screenplay that he wanted to write and that writing it wasn!t enough for him—he wanted to actually turn the screenplay into a film. Wiseau wasn!t concerned with what critics would say. He didn!t care if anyone “got” his idea. He made his own reality. And the result? “The Room” doesn!t have to be known as one of the best movies ever made, but it is known. It

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has a nationwide cult following who attend midnight screenings of the cinematic disaster and excitedly venture to sold-out talks featuring Wiseau and his cast. What would have happened if Wiseau kept the plot of “The Room,” as incoherent as it may be, in his thoughts? Nothing. Instead, he believed in himself and executed his plan accordingly. You have to make yourself invincible. There!s no amount of handholding, high-fives, or pats on the back that can achieve that for you. No matter what you do, someone is going to disagree with your viewpoint or simply not like it. Don!t write for those individuals. Write because you!re passionate about a subject. That!s all you need. Tommy Wiseau may not have envisioned that those who enjoy bad movies would appreciate his film, but nonetheless his vision found an audience. Everyone has avoided a task that he or she wants to accomplish. Feeling guilty about this lack of action is pointless. But when you!re ready, and looking for inspiration, focus on the possibilities that lie ahead once you take the initiative to reach your goal, rather than the excuses (it will be difficult, it will take a long time, I don!t have the energy, etc.) that keep you in procrastination mode.

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What Batman Can Teach You About Proofreading

Everyone wants to be Batman. He!s cool and edgy, but has benevolent intentions—and the man gets results. Luckily for you, it!s easy to adopt Batman!s intriguing qualities to perfect your writing and make others believe that you rock as hard as the Caped Crusader. Whether you!re writing for yourself (a blog, a novel, a business document, etc.) or a client, mistakes aren!t going

to cut it. Your text has to be poignant, useful, and error-free. Here are three aspects of the Batman persona that you can apply to your proofreading habits. Costume – The importance of writing drafts When speaking in front of an audience, it is said that the crowd forms 70% of their opinions on how you look, 20% on how you sound, and only 10% on what you say. When you apply the theory to written text, the 70% of “how you look” reflects the content and structure of your writing. How your writing “looks” involves its appeal to the reader, and proofreading enhances appeal. Text that a writer initially believes to be straightforward may actually be vague, unclear, or forgettable. While the design of your document can certainly play a role in your visual presentation, you perfect your composition!s “look” by not only fixing typos, spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes, but also checking for consistency, clarity, and cohesiveness (among other factors, which may or may not be words that begin with the letter “c”). Readers are more receptive to your ideas when they can easily comprehend your writing. A document full of blemishes will not hold the reader!s interest.

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You often know what you want to say, but your concept is not always translated to the reader. It!s essential to review your document as if you were not the person who wrote it. If you casually proofread your own text, you may skip reading every word in a sentence, but it will likely still make sense—it won!t necessarily to someone else. Schedule an editing session after you take a break from writing. Spending time away from your ideas and the words on the page helps you decipher how can you improve the quality of your work. No one gets it right on the first try. Take advantage of drafts. Writing is as much a process as drawing, painting, or sculpting. A project needs to be carefully crafted. Each step contributes to the next action, whether it!s cleaning your paintbrushes, sketching a mock-up of your vision, or writing the seedlings of your ideas down in a rough draft. Each draft is a costume. Batman had to experiment with different versions of the “bat suit” until it was the ideal combination of aesthetics and functionality—an outfit that communicates that you don!t want to mess with Batman. Change costumes by proofreading until you get it right. When complete, you!ll have a suit that tells a powerful story. Gadgets – When to use resources to improve your weaknesses Crime fighting is Batman!s goal. Communicating a clear message is yours. Stay as focused on your goal as Batman by genuinely connecting with your audience. Work with what you know, and do the appropriate research when you discuss unfamiliar topics. Seems impossible to swiftly travel from the ground to the top of a tall building? Didn!t stop Batman. He uses resources to overcome obstacles, invent complementary gadgets, and enhance his ability to stifle bad guys.

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If you forgot a punctuation rule, look it up. If a sentence is incomplete, elaborate. If a paragraph is convoluted, simplify. Thorough proofreading examines each word and kicks it to the curb if it can be replaced with a more effective option. Don!t take any aspect of your text for granted. Everyone knows that grammar mistakes make your writing look sloppy, but fixing them isn!t always a writer!s priority. It reminds me of a Chinese story about the monk, Birdsnest, who lived in a tree and gave the most profound advice in China. When the governor of the land visited Birdsnest, the guidance that the monk told the officer was simple, “Don!t do bad things. Always do good things.” Feeling cheated by this obvious statement, the governor exclaimed, “I knew that when I was three years old!” “Ah, yes,” Birdsnest replied. “The three-year-old knows it, but the eighty-year-old still finds it difficult to do.” Tone – The benefits of writing and editing with confidence The sound of Bruce Wayne!s voice changes when he becomes Batman. The deeper, firm tone of the winged vigilante is not a frivolous characteristic; it is an intentional display of confidence. Batman doesn!t worry about pleasing everyone. Unapologetically write from your point of view, but don!t be sloppy or careless. After writing a draft, confidently make changes to weak sections. To proofread meticulously, you don!t merely spot glaring errors, you recognize the message that the text intends to convey and ensure that each word in the document contributes to that purpose. Batman doesn!t ask for permission; he!s in a class of his own.

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When people find out that I!m a proofreader, I!ve often received the flippant reaction, “Oh, that!s nice. I!m a sales manager, but I!m thinking of picking up some extra proofreading work on the side. What do you really want to do?” Another popular reply is, “But you actually want to be a writer, don!t you?” If you!re an entrepreneur or aspire to leave a nine-to-five job to pursue creative interests, the same individuals may also smile politely at the sound of your dreams, arrogantly thinking the ubiquitous phrase, “Don!t quit your day job.” As a proofreader, I get to write, re-write, and revise. I!m not just any proofreader; I!m the Batman of proofreaders. I play a vital role in the writing process and transform copy to a polished level of flawlessness. No matter what you do, be Batman. It!s about doing what no one else does. It wasn!t a radioactive spider bite, non-Earthling birth status, or mutated genetics that bestowed Bruce Wayne with the talent to be a superhero. He!s a guy that decided to kick ass no matter what. Batman reminds us: Don!t quit your night job. Bruce Wayne may be a necessary part of life, but listen to your Batman-calling to be something extraordinary.

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