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Subject:RE: Proofreading your own material From:"Al Geist" <al -at- geistarts -dot- com> To:<shawn -at- cohodata -dot- com>, "'RaphaelWorkman -at- comcast -dot- net'" <raphaelworkman -at- comcast -dot- net> Date:Mon, 16 Feb 2015 19:26:18 -0500
Every writer has developed a technique that works for them. Reading
backwards worked for me. For most of my career, I did not have the luxury of
allowing my work to sit for a week before I proofed. This was especially
true when I was working several contracts for different companies and
putting in up to 70 hours a week at the keyboard. Copying and pasting to a
different editor might have helped, but again, there were those time
constraints.
Now, after over 50 years writing for a living, I'm retired from tech
writing, but not from writing. I now teach at the local community college
and I've talked with students and teachers about proofreading practices.
They all experience some of the same time constraints that I faced making me
think that it's a universal problem. There are a plethora of techniques.
Find one that works for you, but keep open to others that may work even
better.
I spend most of my day shooting and editing images now. The deadlines are
mine and I have to say it makes life a lot better.
Al Geist-Geist Arts
Fine Art Photography
Mobile: 231-301-5770
E-mail: al -at- geistarts -dot- com
Website: www.geistarts.com
Facebook: Geist Arts
See Also:
Technical Communication, Help, Documentation Management
"...I walked to work, quit my job, and kept walking. Better to be a pilgrim
without a destination, I figured, than to cross the wrong threshold each
day." (Sy Safransky)
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+al=geistarts -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+al=geistarts -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of
Shawn
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2015 4:36 PM
To: RaphaelWorkman -at- comcast -dot- net
Cc: techwr-l List
Subject: Re: Proofreading your own material
Hello Raphael,
I don't get it either (re: proofreading backwards). I am probably not
understanding because I just tried that method and I cannot see how this
method could possibly be effective.
Since I have spend many years as a sole writer and proofreader, my technique
works pretty well:
1) Allow a number of days (i.e. a week) to elapse after writing and before
proof reading.
2) Copy and paste the content into a separate/different editor (I copy my
content to Google Docs and read from my tablet or print out)
Repeat, if necessary.
I find that by using this technique, I not only find and correct errors, I
also improve the overall quality and clarity of the copy (i.e. move around
content, new content, remove redundant content, etc.).
Best regards,
Shawn
On Sat, Feb 14, 2015 at 8:14 AM, RaphaelWorkman -at- comcast -dot- net <
raphaelworkman -at- comcast -dot- net> wrote:
> Ken,
>
> Forgive my ignorance, but I have a follow up question in reading the
> document from end to beginning.
>
> Do you read every word (e.g. The previous sentence would read,
> "beginning to end from document the reading in question up follow...").
>
> Or do you read the last sentence then the second to last sentence and
> so forth? Or paragraphs?
>
> I'm interested in achieving the results you have achieved.
>
> -Raphael
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Feb 14, 2015, at 9:04 AM, Ken Poshedly <poshedly -at- bellsouth -dot- net>
> wrote:
> >
> > Way back in late 1979 and early 1980 -- in the days of
> > phototypesetting
> and before desktop publishing -- while I was an associate editor at
> what was the American Society for Personnel Administration (now the
> Society for Human Resources Management), the editor of the
> association's monthly magazine showed me her own tried-and-true
proofreading method.
> >
> > Reading every story backwards, from end to the beginning. And I
> > don't
> recall her ever failing to have the cleanest, error-free copy.
> >
> > It was Catherine (Cate) Downes-Bower and if this ever gets back to
> > her,
> kudos to her. I do it when time permits and consistently pass the tip
> along to my coworkers.
> >
> > -- Ken in Atlanta
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
--
*Shawn Connelly*
Technical writer
<shawn -at- cohodata -dot- com>
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