As yet untitled

I don't quite know what I want to write about today yet. It'll come as I go along I'm sure...

I think I have it. Let's see how it goes. A question I see posed frequently 'why proofreaders and editors/can't I just use whichever program to proofread and edit my work?'

The programs I'll talk about another time, there's a simple answer, but there's a longer explanation.

So, back to the question 'why can't I just proofread and edit my own work?'

You can. There are many tips and tricks for proofreading and editing your own work to a good standard. I'll expand upon these in another post.

However, the bottom line is, everybody is too close to their own writing. Even writers that are also proofreaders and editors. I wish it were not so. I figured if I learned the craft, I could DIY it. All I learned was Get Someone Else.

I have at least one other pair of eyes look over this site content, to pick up anything I've missed and make suggestions, before it makes it into the public domain. Preferably more, feedback is invaluable.

I find with all my writing, even after I have given it several revisions and a thorough proof, it's never as good as it could be. For starters, just like every other writer, I have particular foibles that I'm quite blind to in my own work. If we weren't, they wouldn't make it into the copy in the first place. Then, after we've read over it a couple of times, it's very hard not to start skimming. We know what we think is there, we wrote it, we revised it (possibly several times), and now we're looking for errors we left in. Likely from the standpoint that there aren't many.

For instance I find I often haven't been as explicit as I think I have been. I can't readily see where it's not clear; my meaning is present in my mind as I'm revising. What I see as inherent or readily inferred is not necessarily so.

I could write a list of things I know I'm prone to overlooking in my own work that another pair of eyes picks up straight away.

Aside from this issue, not only do trained proofreaders and editors understand writing and language conventions incredibly well, they also understand industry protocols for presenting work for publication.

In an ideal world, every writer hires proofreaders and editors for everything.

It is not an ideal world. So, asking yourself what your end purpose for your writing is, will indicate how vital hiring an editor or proofreader is.

For example, if you're looking to self publish, you should absolutely contract as many of the same services that would be performed in-house by a publisher as you can.

If you're submitting to an agent or some form of publication that will proof and edit themselves, it is still in your best interests to present your work in the best possible light. However, so long as it is structurally sound and sufficiently well written, agents and submissions editors can see past things they would be amended as part of their publishing process. Ergo, you may wish to just have it proofread to ensure there are no presentation errors, including making sure any specified submissions guidelines have been met.