
Make it a habit to spellcheck your work every day when you shut down for the night. This should be part of your routine as a writer. Believe it or not, you might actually forget if you wait until you finish your current story or book. Somehow the final editing and formatting process can eclipse this very essential step.
This is obvious to me based on the many books I’ve read the past few years that are riddled with typos. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve been guilty as well, requiring a lot of time after a book was published to upload a corrected version of something that should have been correct in the first place.
By making it part of your routine, it becomes a task you don’t even have to think about, but do automatically. Done daily, it takes less time and you can be sure the final product won’t be riddled with typos, which drive readers crazy and label your work that of an amateur.
That’s a good idea.
My method is to begin a new day by reading the previous day’s work aloud and fixing typos, etc.
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That’s a great idea, too. I tend to still read over my typos, though, or missing words. But it definitely finds some! I probably initiate as many typos during the editing phase as any, mostly where I don’t delete old words that I should, etc. My mouse is a bit psycho, which doesn’t help.
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IF I read silently, which is much faster, I don’t find many typos, for me, the ‘secret’ seems to be reading aloud – and I still miss stuff.
One thing I’ve learned never, ever to do in a rough draft is to justify the margins… that makes things leap around like gymnasts. Thus, I do that after all editing for typos, etc.
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That’s interesting, that justified margins contribute to not seeing them as easily. Apparently those little beggars sneak in there through whatever means necessary.
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Yep, typos are very devious.
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