• Our software update is now concluded. You will need to reset your password to log in. In order to do this, you will have to click "Log in" in the top right corner and then "Forgot your password?".
  • Welcome to PokéCommunity! Register now and join one of the best fan communities on the 'net to talk Pokémon and more! We are not affiliated with The Pokémon Company or Nintendo.

Proofreading yourself vs someone else doing it for you

Palamon

Silence is Purple
8,160
Posts
15
Years
  • Do you proofread yourself, or have someone proofread your work for you? I'm my own proofreader, and I reread and go through my work thrice or more to make sure it's close to perfect.

    I am pretty good at finding mistakes, so I always prefer to do everything myself.
     

    Venia Silente

    Inspectious. Good for napping.
    1,232
    Posts
    15
    Years
  • My personal experience is that proofreading yourself doesn't work too well, unless you can take quite some distance from your work — for example by taking some time away from it, or by changing the visual style you are using to read it (change fonts, dark mode, print vs screen, etc).

    Overall, getting someone else to proofread for me works well. Of course there are situations where this is largely difficult (eg.: contest writing) but the results are worth it whenever you can find a stable proofreader.
     

    CiCi

    [font=Satisfy]Obsession: Watanuki Kimihiro and Izu
    1,508
    Posts
    5
    Years
    • Seen Nov 24, 2023
    A bit of both. I learned so much from my writing buddy, and her advice, opinions, and general thoughts were invaluable. We gave each other both readings and reactions live on-camera, as well as detailed, typed-up reviews, and unleashed our honest thoughts. I think we were also just a really good match to cover each other's bases, but she's a much better writer than me for sure.

    I've also done tit-for-tat style reviews. There is so much to learn from other writers that I think it's in no way a good idea to simply trust your own judgment. I do a lot of solo things currently as I'm busy while also doing a bit soul-searching, as it were, for what my writing is supposed to be, but I really want to get back into the review/beta reading game again when I have the time.
     
    11,780
    Posts
    20
    Years
    • Seen Feb 9, 2024
    I always find it's hard for me to proofread my work because I know what to expect and what I want to say. I feel it's easier for someone else to read and point out my mistakes that I might not have noticed. Or I describe things as if everyone should already know and not realize that either.
     

    Bay

    6,388
    Posts
    17
    Years
  • I tend to proofread/edit a couple rounds at least first. Sometimes I try to find someone for a second pair of eyes/another opinion, but recently I've posted a few short works that weren't beta'd because either someone I know that could help is busy or I'm just unable to find someone.
     

    Vragon2.0

    Say it with me (Vray-gun)
    420
    Posts
    6
    Years
  • Mostly myself though I sometimes can get lucky and find somebody. Others are good at catching mistakes I would make, but I feel I have the drive personally to be more thorough and go through multiple times to make sure everything is right (even if I miss things still).
     
    25,539
    Posts
    12
    Years
  • Both!

    Proofreading just by yourself isn't reliable because you miss things you don't know are errors or accidentally skip over because your own writing style. But sometimes a third-party is going to miss things too. Having multiple proof readers reduces the chances of missing things.

    It's less of a big deal for casual writing, but for my book I'm working with a professional editor.
     
    Back
    Top