[Klip]

I stumbled on a neat trick for the finding-the-mistakes stage of writing.

Do a search for a common word like "look" or "back" or "when", words that you use quite a lot. The point is not to remove or replace them, but to use the search as a way of skipping randomly through the document. At each point, look at the paragraph surrounding that word.

For some reason when I do that, as opposed to YET ANOTHER read through from the start, the mistakes really jump out at me.

 

[sarahdalton]

Thanks for the tip! It's so much less daunting than re-reading right from the start. I'm just doing that now. I'm not even half way through and already losing the will...

 

[dalya]

I stumbled on a neat trick for the finding-the-mistakes stage of writing.

Do a search for a common word like "look" or "back" or "when", words that you use quite a lot. The point is not to remove or replace them, but to use the search as a way of skipping randomly through the document. At each point, look at the paragraph surrounding that word.

For some reason when I do that, as opposed to YET ANOTHER read through from the start, the mistakes really jump out at me.

ooooooh be VERY careful with this method. For me, I'll glance at a sentence and "see" a mistake instantly. Upon closer inspection, however, the tense isn't actually wrong.

When I'm formatting a document, I have to be really careful I don't put in last-minute typos, because I'll frequently "see" mistakes as I'm putting in a section break.

 

[Klip]

ooooooh be VERY careful with this method. For me, I'll glance at a sentence and "see" a mistake instantly. Upon closer inspection, however, the tense isn't actually wrong.

When I'm formatting a document, I have to be really careful I don't put in last-minute typos, because I'll frequently "see" mistakes as I'm putting in a section break.

True. It works best for finding homophone errors, typos, overused words, that kind of thing. Not so good for adjusting the tone, pacing, tense or things in which you need to consider the context.

 

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

Mistakes lurk in the computer and only pop out once you've printed it 

 

[Klip]

Mistakes lurk in the computer and only pop out once you've printed it

No it's those hackers. Haven't you heard? They target you via Facebook. Or maybe Amazon sneaks in the typos to undermine self published authors. True story.

 

[Becca Mills]

No it's those hackers. Haven't you heard? They target you via Facebook. Or maybe Amazon sneaks in the typos to undermine self published authors. True story.

I believe it!

Thanks for the tip, Masha. I'll try anything that might help. Typos are such an albatross.

Sent from my LG-VS700 using Tapatalk 2

 

[micki]

I found this article which is so helpful

Quote:

Today I'm going to do something a bit different. I'm going to talk about how you can augment MS Word's ability to check grammar. Yes there are professional editing programs that do all this, and more, but sometimes you don't want to copy and paste your story into an online editor, especially if it's a 100,000 word novel!

http://blog.karenwoodward.org/2012/10/check-your-writing-for-adverbs-and.html

 

[41413]

I firmly believe that typos are like horny rabbits. Every time I close the document, they go at it again, and there are a hundred new ones when I return.

 

[Klip]

I firmly believe that typos are like horny rabbits. Every time I close the document, they go at it again, and there are a hundred new ones when I return.

So editing is really like selective breeding? By limiting the gene pool, you hope the new words will be better ones...

 

[41413]

So editing is really like selective breeding? By limiting the gene pool, you hope the new words will be better ones...

This is a fascinating idea.

I sent the last draft to my Kindle and read it off the Kindle, highlighting mistakes and typos. Works great to read it on a different device. Totally resets my brain and I read what's there instead of what I think is there.

I Save As a Filtered Web Page, then use Calibre to convert that into a mobi, then email it to my Kindle account.

TK Kenyon

I did that for my last book. Normally it helps a lot, but my first proofreader still came back with a zillion errors.

They breed.

 

[Quiss]

I sent the last draft to my Kindle and read it off the Kindle, highlighting mistakes and typos. Works great to read it on a different device.

This works for me, too. It's like in the olden days, when you print the ms out on paper, which makes it easier to find errors.

I use the search feature to hunt down words that I tend to overuse.

 

[MegSilver]

This is a fascinating idea.

I did that for my last book. Normally it helps a lot, but my first proofreader still came back with a zillion errors.

They breed.

I feel a 'typo erotica' farce-fest about to ensue...

 

[60865]

I firmly believe that typos are like horny rabbits. Every time I close the document, they go at it again, and there are a hundred new ones when I return.

 

[Quiss]

I have to admit to once having spelled "shirt" wrong...

 

[sspeer]

I sent the last draft to my Kindle and read it off the Kindle, highlighting mistakes and typos. Works great to read it on a different device. Totally resets my brain and I read what's there instead of what I think is there.

That's a good idea. Sometimes it helps to read it out loud. I don't know if it's because reading aloud is slower, but sometimes you can catch mistakes better that way.

 

[pjmorse]

I love this idea. I'll have to try it. For some reason, whenever I look for typos, I get so preoccupied obsessing over some things that I completely miss others, such as writing "and" as "nad."

I think I'm going to spell check this post right now ...

 

[dalya]

I sent the last draft to my Kindle and read it off the Kindle, highlighting mistakes and typos. Works great to read it on a different device. Totally resets my brain and I read what's there instead of what I think is there.

I read mine on the Kindle too. I put it in a Ziploc bag and read it in the tub. Hence, I look forward to proofreading.

 

[Bruce Blake]

I use the search feature to hunt down words that I tend to overuse.

I'm like Quiss. I have a list of words I go looking for to weed out or potentially change and it's amazing how many other mistakes rear those ugly heads while I'm looking...and then they breed...