A few weeks ago, I whined about some of my typographical errors that a reviewer found in Drop Dead Red. (Let’s have a contest. How many errors can you find? Only take part in the contest if you promise to let me know where they are so I can correct them.)
I proofread the mystery numerous times. I had it professionally proofread after Draft 3 or 4. Yet, errors persisted and they impacted those reading the book. I have stewed about this for at least three weeks. I came up with all kinds of promises to myself about making sure the next book is proofread one last time before it goes to publication.
And then, appearing in my email inbox was another of Jane Friedman’s Electric Speed email newsletters, where she shares digital tools and resources for writers. She linked to another blog which compared the best proof reading software for 2018. The blog is found at Kindlepreneur with Dave Chesson.
I clicked on the link and read the comparisons of Grammarly, Ginger, ProWritingAid, and Hemingway. That was the forehead slapping moment. These tools were out there all the time. I’m not sure why I didn’t look for them. To be honest, I thought I was a decent proofreader. However, when I was trying to proof a 382-page book time after time, ‘decent’ wasn’t good enough.
This is part of my ‘do as I say, not as I do (did?) series. Check out these electronic proof readers. They sound like they would be just the thing for any of your literary creations, from a Facebook post, an email to the next New York Times best seller.
If you already use one of these or something else, let me know about it.