Three Ways to Re-read

by Gail Pallotta
(Georgia)

Here are a few suggestions that I’ve learned from over the years from colleagues, instructors and editors in the field of writing.

After I've spent several hours re-writing an article or the chapter of a book, I read over the pages again. They seem to say exactly what I want. I think when you re-read the same words over again you begin to read what you meant to say and not what you wrote.

So this is what I’ve learned to do to resolve that problem. I read the manuscript backwards. Seeing the work from a different perspective makes grammar errors, awkward sentences and foggy thought patterns evident.

Next, I read the pages from the middle to the end and then return to the beginning, finding and correcting more problems. However, after proofing the manuscript backwards and from the middle, I return to the beginning to make sure the sequence of events and time line remain intact.

Finally, I read the work aloud. I have to admit, I still feel a little silly sitting at my computer delivering a monologue, but this is the final way to find mistakes.