by Evan J
photo by Evan J
In a previous article I said, “distribute your energy appropriately, get the details correct, but focus your time on the content.” However, as I read my umpteenth submission, I’m recognizing that “the small stuff” is, understandably, not obvious to new writers. Therefore, let me explicate that phrase and then reveal what the little errors are and how to fix them.
I begin reading every submission with an open mind. I want to respect the submission, to fall in love with its content—but I also need the submission to respect me, to let me focus on the content. Errors do not let the reader focus. They are distracting.
When I find an error, my focus is cut in half. One half is still attentive to the content. But the other half is counting mistakes and estimating how much work it would take to fix the piece. With every error, half of my mind thinks: Is this a one-off problem, or should I expect more disruptions? Will there be so many errors that we won’t have time to fix them, even if the content is good? If this author can’t get the punctuation right, will the major techniques like plot also contain errors? These are not questions that you want surrounding your work, so respect your work and the submission reader by doing a thorough proofread before submitting.
How to proofread:
Find a way to print out your work and make edits on paper; the proofreading eye catches many more errors on the printed page. Then read it through very, very slowly. Read out loud. Question every spelling, every punctuation use, every everything. Then read it backwards, one sentence at a time; a backwards reading helps catch what you skimmed over accidentally. When you’re done, fix the mistakes, then print it out and repeat this process. Always aim for perfection.
The little errors to fix:
Evict every double space. Left-justify your prose. Make every straight quotation mark a curly quotation mark (' vs. “). Catch every spelling variation and verify that it’s appropriate to the national spelling of the place you are submitting (L vs. LL, O vs. OU, ER vs. RE endings, etc.). Double-check your verb tenses. And unless the guidelines say otherwise, just use Times New Roman, 12-point font. Funky fonts will not magically make your submission better.
A trick of the trade:
The last thing you should do before submitting your work is run it through the free Grammarly online software. Don’t take every piece of advice that it gives because it doesn’t quite understand creative writing, but do investigate what it underlines to help catch any remaining mistakes. Errors are clever and can find their way into your work when you least expect them.
Now that you’ve been educated about little errors, do your darndest to avoid them.