Monday, April 20, 2009

Proof

Art by A. E. Marty

"Proofread carefully to see if you any words out."

A simple typo suggests a general lack of competance. Fair? No. Reality? You bet.

So we spent the hole week-end proof reading. Editing requires viewing the forst, not the trees. Proofrreading - on the other hand - requires viewing the trees...and the branches, the leaves, and even the bugs on the leaves. For 3 hours we sit in front of Mins' computer (while Benji lay on the floor), searching for the tiniest errors in punctuation, spelling, and, tense. Reading aloud....Reading backward. "I said, Its the most unique type of vacation we've ever had!'

Did you spot at least 25 errors?

Proof that proofreaders are necessary.
It's what I do.
What do you do?






4 comments:

Kay Dennison said...

I am a spelling and grammar freak so I try to be accurate but sometimes I rush my work when I'm getting a post ready or commenting. My biggest sin is leaving words out these days. Sigh.

Beck said...

This post makes me feel very inadequate as a writer. I hope you never link over to my blog and stop reading halfway through because of the errors.

Sheri said...

What do I do? I'm the one making the mistakes for a proofreader to find and correct!

Debbie Raymond said...

My job is to proofread too - for a scrapbook company that specializes in "word paper." It's a word lover's dream job. There's always plenty to do, because for some reason graphic designers are traditionally BAD spellers. So I have my hands full.