When people discover I’m a freelance editor at networking events or through casual conversation, they occasionally ask this question: “Why does anyone need an editor when they can just use spellcheck?”
Tag Archives: reading aloud
Typos in the pre-digital age. Or, why proofing your work matters then … AND now.
Think back to a high school or college writing assignment. Term paper, book report … anything, really. Did you get dinged for typos? (Shorthand for typographical errors, in case you were wondering.) Does a particularly egregious error come to mind?
Allow me to get this conversation going, with an embarrassingly cringe-worthy example out of my own not-so-recent past….
To know what you REALLY wrote? Record, replay, LISTEN!
Back in July on LinkedIn, I shared the following 10-step technique for out-loud proofreading that works with any and all types of copy:
1. Print out a copy of your writing.
2. Grab your favorite pen.
3. Read aloud to yourself slowly…
Pamela Barroway 