Read-Through Editing

In my last post I mentioned that I am doing some 'read-through' editing. What do I mean by that?

Simple really, read through the text and fix what needs fixing or could be improved. The catch is that when reading your own work your brain will automatically filter much of what you think you're reading. So you need to make a conscious effort to concentrate on the words and the sentences. To try and peel back the layer of filtering that your brain always has in place. A good way to help with this is to read out loud. It will slow you down, and you will hear many issues in the text that you wouldn't have seen.

The other main way to strip out that automatic filter is to have someone else read the text. They will spot things that you filtered out. That's why having someone willing to proof-read your work can be a huge advantage.

When I do 'read-through' editing I'm looking for a number of things.

1. Typos that the spellchecker doesn't pick up. Like heath instead of hearth, I instead of it.
2. Grammar, where commas should go for readability, where sentences should end. Often I find that a long sentence reads better as two short ones.
3. Sentences that read awkwardly and can be improved.
4. Words that repeat too close together. Sometimes using a word twice close together can emphasize a point but most of the time it just makes the passage awkward.
5. Passages that repeat themselves or contradict themselves. Sometimes small inconsistencies or repeated information creep in, remove them.
6. Extraneous words, sometimes the sentence just does not need those extra words.
7. Where a contraction would read better. Would not, I had, I have, we have, does not. In most cases the contractions (wouldn't, I'd, I've, we've, doesn't) are more natural, and the readers are likely to automatically do it anyway.

These are the things I look for when editing, in no particular order. If there's is anything else I forgot to mention let me know.

A.I.Marin