Proofreading and Editing Series

Welcome to the first of this five-part series designed to assist us in improving our writing. Let's delve into the dreaded and often avoided realm of proofreading and editing.

I've often wondered what it is about this process we all seem to dislike so much. Is it the actual act of doing the proofreading? Could it be the time involved that gets us down, because we would much rather be off to create another new piece of writing? Maybe, somewhere within each of us, there is a fear of not being able to proofread and edit well enough to truly improve our work? What if it simply comes down to not wanting to admit our items need it? The possibilities are endless but the fact remains-we do need to proofread and edit, especially if being published is a goal or a dream seated within us.

Along about now I imagine some of you may be thinking, "I have a friend proofread for me and she does a great job, so I don't need to worry about it." That may be true. Maybe she does proofread well and show you all the little facets of your writing that need 'fixed'. However, what if she's on vacation at a crucial moment when you need her? Then what do you do?

Well, there are plenty of options. You could just choose not to proofread or edit and hope an agent, editor or publisher will still give you that dream shot you've been aching to have. You could even send your work along to one of the many proofreading and editing services there are, both on and off the Internet-for a fee of course. On the other hand, you could actually take that step yourself and begin to get comfortable with the idea of tackling the task on your own.

So, what exactly is proofreading and editing? Are they one in the same, or two different animals altogether?

Proofreading, as defined by The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, is-
[Transitive verb] To read (copy or proof) in order to find errors and mark corrections. [Intransitive verb] To read copy or proof for purposes of error detection and correction.

Editing, as defined by The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, is-
[Transitive verb] 1a. To prepare (written material) for publication or presentation, as by correcting, revising, or adapting. b. To prepare an edition of for publication: edit a collection of short stories. c. To modify or adapt so as to make suitable or acceptable: edited her remarks for presentation to a younger audience. 4. To eliminate; delete: edited the best scene out.

The differences are obvious, and clearly shown in the definitions above. Proofreading is the process of locating and correcting errors, e.g. spelling, punctuation, grammar; while editing is the process of revising and preparing our written content for presentation, e.g. clear sentences, solid description, removing redundancy. Each serve their own purpose and each are essential to presenting a complete, well written piece of work for publication.

Next in the Series:
Proofreading and Editing Series Part 2