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Three Proofreading Tips
One of which I learned the hard way
1: Use Medium’s Listen Tool
Every time I publish a story on Medium, I immediately go to the Listen option to check my text for errors. This little ritual stops typos at the gate; typos that may have sneaked past a visual scan. Indeed, only the other day I published a story in which I had missed an initial letter t off the word the. On having my text read back to me, I picked up the error and fixed it immediately.
Voice reproduction has advanced considerably since those robotic early days of Daleks on helium. Artificial speech has a much more natural flow these days, and we can choose a voice to suit our story. I usually opt for the traditional British voice of Harry, but when I published a story that was written in the manner of Holden Cauldfield, I went with the American Nate for added authenticity.
Of course, an audible proofread is not foolproof, so a thorough visual check is essential. For example, if I were typing merrily away and I missed the letter a from the word bread, the audio playback wouldn’t alert me, as bred without the a sounds the same.
2: Tiredness is the Typo’s Ally
Back in the day, I wrote and self-published three books, one of which was a great success (I…
