Proofreading goes hand in hand with the editing phase of creating your manuscript, but it’s usually best to leave the line by line proofreading for last. When you edit, paragraphs may get switched around, and new scenes might be added. If you proofread before editing – which some writers choose to do because they can’t stand to see errors – you might assume, sometimes incorrectly, that the inserted scenes and other alterations are fitting in error free and that there is no need to recheck your document as carefully as before.

Checking spelling and grammar in short stories

There are some simple tricks for carefully proofreading shorter works. To check for spelling errors in a short story, it can help to read your document backwards, checking one word at a time. This prevents you from skimming as you read and therefore missing errors because your brain is focused on the content.

To do a basic grammar and sense check, read your document backwards one sentence at a time.

For longer manuscripts

Reading backwards would prove too tiring for longer manuscripts. Instead, read these slowly sentence by sentence, beginning to end, checking for all errors at once: spelling, grammar, word usage, and factual inconsistency. Plotting inconsistency should be handled in the editing phase, but keep an eye out now for those paragraphs that were switched and the added and deleted scenes.

Spelling

Break longer words into syllables and check that letters have not been transposed within each syllable. As readers, our brains have been coached into making assumptions to gain speed. Often we see only the first few letters of a word, recognise it, and move on – without attaching any importance to whether the word is spelt correctly.

Keep a dictionary on hand and check any word that you are not completely certain is correct. You’ll probably find that most words start looking wrong to you at this point – think of it as your ego acknowledging that it’s not a Spelling B Champion.

Watch out for words that sound the same, eg “their” and “there”, as these are often mixed up.

If it helps, make temporary changes to the font style or size that will make it easier for you to check the text. Sometimes a different font can make an error stand out suddenly. If you usually use a serif font, like Times New Roman, try a sans serif font, like Arial, for your proofreading, or vice versa.

Grammar

Check common errors such as verb and subject agreement, apostrophe usage and other punctuation errors, and missing words.

Missing or transposed letters can change the meaning of a word – the spelling may be correct (and therefore your PC’s spell-check won’t pick it up) but the word is completely out of context.

If a sentence sounds wrong, listen to your instinct. Invest in a grammar guide so that you can double-check anything you’re unsure of.

Word usage

Again, avoid second-guessing yourself by looking up any words you don’t know the definite meanings of. Do you really mean “consequently”, or should you have used “subsequently”? Have you used “obliged” when you meant “obligated”? It’s easy to get the incorrect sense of a word, and use it incorrectly for years before finding the real definition.

Have you used the correct form of the word? Many people have fallen into the habit of using an adjective as an adverb, eg, “You’re driving too slow” instead of “You’re driving too slowly”. (Of course, because this is English after all, if that driver was fast instead of slow, the first sentence would be correct, because “fast” is an adjective and an adverb, and, just for fun, it’s also a noun and a verb.)

Characters and first person narrators can make grammar and word usage errors – sometimes this adds to the characterisation – but take care to use the correct form if it is in third person narrative.

Inconsistency

It is easy to overlook the spelling of a name, particularly surnames, when you presume you’ve remembered how you originally spelt the name of your own character. But it’s amazing how easy it is to pick up an alternate spelling over the course of a novel-length work – anything could influence you, from a slightly different spelling in a book to a movie star with the same name. Changes creep in most easily in names with many common variations, such as Katherine, Katharine, Kathryn, Kathrin, Catherine, Catharine, Cathryn; or Mackenzie, MacKensie, McKenzie, Machesney; Macintyre, McIntire, MacIntyre.

Make a note of the initially used spelling of any names like these, and check subsequent references against your notes.

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The Complete Guide to Editing Your Fiction by Michael Seidman covers useful techniques to improve both your proofreading process and handling of the editing and continuity aspects.