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Abstract

doing our readers a disservice. We are abandoning ourselves in a way.</p><h2 id="8bb5">How Do I Proofread?</h2><p id="0a8a">It’s easier than you think. All you have to do is re-read your work. Line by line, word by word. Do not skim. Read. <b>Read out loud</b>. Why?</p><p id="30f4">A lot of writing on Medium tends to be conversational. We talk to our readers and they feel connected. We try to be relatable and vulnerable because the entire point of writing a piece is to help someone else, is it not?</p><p id="ccc1">When we read out loud, we are reading a conversation — a monologue, if you will. And this helps us catch the little bumps in the road that would cause a reader to feel disconnected.</p><p id="c52b">Maybe you change “the” to “a” or replace a noun with a pronoun. Maybe you fix a run-on or fragment. You might notice that a sentence is redundant. You may find the overuse of a single word or a group of words. You may find that you aren’t receiving the message in the way it was intended to be received.</p><h2 id="9e9b">Slowing Down</h2><p id="c051">When you read a piece aloud, this forces your eyes to slow down to keep pace with your voice in a natural way. During my first writing course, I would visit the writing center on a weekly basis, as I quickly grew to love the art. I wanted to learn as much as I could from these writing experts, and tutoring was <i>free.</i></p><p id="7201">My favorite tutor, Betsy, always had me print out the piece I was working on — two copies, one for her and one for me. With a pen ready in hand, I read it aloud word by word, line by line. I would circle my mistakes. I could never believe how many there were because I thought I already fixed them.</p><p id="199b">Then, she would have me read the sentences backwards. I thought it was ridiculous until I started the practice. I caught even more errors I missed before. These errors were mostly in regards to the content of the sentences, rather than grammar.</p><h2 id="3a67">Rhythm</h2><p id="d079">The most important and indulgent facet of reading your work out loud is discovering what type of writer you are. Most people don’t write so beautifully when they first start out. For many, getting their thoughts onto the page in a cohesive manner is nothing short of a

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disaster.</p><p id="8786">Filled with chunks and bumps, things may not make sense in the way you imagined them to in your head. Reading out loud may be the recipe you need to get your writing on the right track.</p><p id="6ecf">When I first started visiting the writing center, I was nervous because I knew my work was terrible. It didn’t flow freely and had poor connecting phrases throughout. <i>Works Cited</i> pages made my head hurt and research papers felt like an entirely different monster.</p><p id="ceec">Then, with Betsy’s help, I started to find the rhythm. My work had fewer mistakes! When she asked me what I had changed, I proudly declared that I had been proofreading out loud before our sessions. This left the entire hour to dive deep into perfecting content, flow, formatting, etc. I was so excited.</p><h2 id="4100">Be Better For Yourself and Your Readers</h2><p id="922f">Proofreading out loud gives you the gift of hearing your story like a song. It will show you strengths and weaknesses you didn’t know you had. It will help you to correct the flow of your writing and make it more fluid and enjoyable.</p><p id="dc52">This will help you retain readers. You will catch the awkward words and phrases that turn out to be misfits. You will replace them with more appropriate alternatives that will only strengthen your piece. You will find your voice and be a better creator in the end.</p><p id="570c">And all the while, I bet you will learn to love it!</p><figure id="7a7c"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*6Yv08bmfgMQHEcSONRB-vA.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><div id="eef4"><pre>Tap <span class="hljs-keyword">into</span> positivity <span class="hljs-keyword">at</span> Live Life Now, <span class="hljs-keyword">my</span> new blog✨</pre></div><div id="71c7"><pre>Have questions? Sign up <span class="hljs-keyword">for</span> a tier <span class="hljs-keyword">to</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">get</span> <span class="hljs-number">1</span>on1 access <span class="hljs-keyword">with</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">me</span>.</pre></div><div id="62c0"><pre>Become <span class="hljs-selector-tag">a</span> Medium member today or leave <span class="hljs-selector-tag">a</span> tip. ❤️</pre></div></article></body>

I Proofread Every Story I Write Out Loud Before Publishing

You should too — here’s why

If you ever had an English teacher, I’m sure they told you just that. Proofread…out loud. And guess what? It really works.

When I started college, I decided to go to community (college) for a couple of years. I was a first-generation college student and I really had no idea what to do. I was overwhelmed just by the thought of spending a fortune on university without knowing what the heck I wanted to do with my life.

I ended up in a handful of required English courses. I didn’t know then that these courses would literally change the direction of my life in more ways than one.

If there’s one thing I learned about the technical art of writing, it’s that the first draft is never the last draft. And if it is, it’s not as good as it can be.

Now that isn’t to say the first draft is not good enough. Because sometimes, 80–85% of the best you can do is enough. This is especially true in a place like Medium, where unfortunately, quantity trumps quality.

Full stop. This does not translate to me saying, “Put out crap and your numbers will soar.” Quite the contrary.

I’m saying that perfectionism is not welcomed here. It just doesn’t work in your favor. That, my friend, is where the beloved gem of proofreading comes in.

Yes, invite her to the writing party and the after-party, and everywhere your little fingers that tap, tap, away take you.

Without proofreading, your quality of content decreases incrementally.

How do I know? Because it has happened to me. It has happened on more than one occasion.

When we don’t proofread, we are not only doing our readers a disservice. We are abandoning ourselves in a way.

How Do I Proofread?

It’s easier than you think. All you have to do is re-read your work. Line by line, word by word. Do not skim. Read. Read out loud. Why?

A lot of writing on Medium tends to be conversational. We talk to our readers and they feel connected. We try to be relatable and vulnerable because the entire point of writing a piece is to help someone else, is it not?

When we read out loud, we are reading a conversation — a monologue, if you will. And this helps us catch the little bumps in the road that would cause a reader to feel disconnected.

Maybe you change “the” to “a” or replace a noun with a pronoun. Maybe you fix a run-on or fragment. You might notice that a sentence is redundant. You may find the overuse of a single word or a group of words. You may find that you aren’t receiving the message in the way it was intended to be received.

Slowing Down

When you read a piece aloud, this forces your eyes to slow down to keep pace with your voice in a natural way. During my first writing course, I would visit the writing center on a weekly basis, as I quickly grew to love the art. I wanted to learn as much as I could from these writing experts, and tutoring was free.

My favorite tutor, Betsy, always had me print out the piece I was working on — two copies, one for her and one for me. With a pen ready in hand, I read it aloud word by word, line by line. I would circle my mistakes. I could never believe how many there were because I thought I already fixed them.

Then, she would have me read the sentences backwards. I thought it was ridiculous until I started the practice. I caught even more errors I missed before. These errors were mostly in regards to the content of the sentences, rather than grammar.

Rhythm

The most important and indulgent facet of reading your work out loud is discovering what type of writer you are. Most people don’t write so beautifully when they first start out. For many, getting their thoughts onto the page in a cohesive manner is nothing short of a disaster.

Filled with chunks and bumps, things may not make sense in the way you imagined them to in your head. Reading out loud may be the recipe you need to get your writing on the right track.

When I first started visiting the writing center, I was nervous because I knew my work was terrible. It didn’t flow freely and had poor connecting phrases throughout. Works Cited pages made my head hurt and research papers felt like an entirely different monster.

Then, with Betsy’s help, I started to find the rhythm. My work had fewer mistakes! When she asked me what I had changed, I proudly declared that I had been proofreading out loud before our sessions. This left the entire hour to dive deep into perfecting content, flow, formatting, etc. I was so excited.

Be Better For Yourself and Your Readers

Proofreading out loud gives you the gift of hearing your story like a song. It will show you strengths and weaknesses you didn’t know you had. It will help you to correct the flow of your writing and make it more fluid and enjoyable.

This will help you retain readers. You will catch the awkward words and phrases that turn out to be misfits. You will replace them with more appropriate alternatives that will only strengthen your piece. You will find your voice and be a better creator in the end.

And all the while, I bet you will learn to love it!

Tap into positivity at Live Life Now, my new blog✨

Have questions? Sign up for a tier to get 1on1 access with me.

Become a Medium member today or leave a tip. ❤️