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Proofreading skills
My sister recently bought a book with tons of errors in it.
She says she regrets buying it now because it made her stop reading it and said she could have checked it herself because, being a secretary, she's always correcting work for her boss.
She said it can't be hard, can it? Check your work before it goes out to the world?
I think checking your own work IS hard.
What do you think and does anyone know of a suitable proofreading course I can advise her to go on?
She says she regrets buying it now because it made her stop reading it and said she could have checked it herself because, being a secretary, she's always correcting work for her boss.
She said it can't be hard, can it? Check your work before it goes out to the world?
I think checking your own work IS hard.
What do you think and does anyone know of a suitable proofreading course I can advise her to go on?
Comments
I have absolutely no problem spotting errors in other people's work, and in fact I often pick up on some pretty tiny errors, I routinely miss problems in my own writing. Whilst I would hardly say that I have tons of errors, I do need someone else to read anything of mine with more than 500 words in it, unless I have time to put it aside an come back to it a week or so later when it's dropped out of my memory.
I'm glad it's not just me (unless this author is just sloppy, in which case, tut tut).
My darling daughter reads most of my stuff - she's practically standing over me waiting for the next masterpiece, bless her - and she has an eagle eye for typos.
Today I was about to send a re-written (tweaked) short story out and just spotted an extra "he" in time.
Lord knows what else I missed. Should have shown it to Mandy first but there wasn't time.
Misplaced apostrophes are everywhere - particularly prevalent in greengrocers' shops.
Spud's 50p a pound. Tomato's £1.25p. etc.
She could try Chapterhouse Publishing. Here's the link:
http://www.chapterhousepublishing.co.uk/index.shtml
I did the proofreading and copy-editing course. It's quite tough but worth the effort!
I think it's something that happens to all of us. I have a piece published online on BBC Wildlife Magazine's website. It was a piece I worked on - off and on - for ages. I double, triple and quadruple checked it before I submitted it. But there's an error - a tense is wrong in one of the sentences and it makes me wince with annoyance!
When I go back to it later, it's easier to see what's wrong with it.
I would have bet my bottom dollar that I had edited all my books to within almost an inch of their life. Then, this week, someone pointed out that I had left out the word 'he' in a sentence.
In the words of Victor Meldrew, I could not believe it! I even doubted the validity of what she had said.
But, no! She was right. I had re-read that book hundreds of times and missed it each time.
I have now stepped down from my pedestal and am eating gargantuan portions of humble pie.
And therein lies the problem. When it's our own work, we KNOW what we've written and even when we're editing a piece of our writing, we're still actually only 'seeing' what we already know is there - if you get my drift.
Surely "lady's glove" is correct BD? Are you meaning it should be plural (ladies')?
So that's where my extra 'he' came from!
Surely "lady's glove" is correct BD? Are you meaning it should be plural (ladies')? [/quote]
I wonder whether BD means it should be "a lady's white glove" rather than the glove of a white lady.
[quote=Webbo]B Darter wrote: I spotted one in the winning competition story in Writers' News. a white lady's glove. Surely "lady's glove" is correct BD? Are you meaning it should be plural (ladies')?
[/quote]
It's answers like this that make me wonder if Jonathan Webbo still comes to check on us lot at TB any more.
Dunno. When I emailed him on Sunday the reply on Monday came from AN Other.
He might even have got the latest bugs going round, and is curled up on his sofa with a hot lemon drink and a big box of tissues... :)
It's just I'm sure it's been soooooooo long since the real Jonathan Webbo was here. 'gasp' Suppose he's left WM and found himself different employ?
I think he's checking what we're up to so that he can select just the right present for each of us. I did mention the lovely boots I have my eye on, didn't I?
Look out for that 'Special Delivery', everyone.
Ho Ho Ho!
it's not the real Webbo checking up. Might not even be a 'he'.
Perhaps it's not him. Perhaps it's never been him. Perhaps there isn't a him. The Man Who Never Was.
[quote=snailmale]Perhaps it's never been him[/quote] There was definitely a him but the voice of authority on Talkback that used to be him is no longer.
Perhaps we should re-enact a Monty Python parrot sketch to honour his absence.
Jonathan is away at present, but I'm dropping in now and then as always.
Regards
Tam
Tam? Is that Tam O'Shanter ?
Are we under surveillance from the Celtic Fringe?
*tuts*
*Lights four candles in memory of Webbo*
and I think you'll find Jonathan wouldn't have needed to have explained the joke.
Big Brother or Sister (probably Sister) is watching us.
Yikes.