How often do you go back to proofread your hub?

1. 59

   deweyduckposted 13 years ago

   When I write things I find myself constantly rereading what I've written to make sure it makes sense and to hopefully catch grammatical or spelling errors. 
   
   There's no way I can do this myself, but do some of you have the talent to just write straight through and then proofreading maybe only once? Any tips?

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   1. 68

      Blogging Erikaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I think it's a skill you develop.  The more you write, the better you get at organizing your thoughts and writing. 
      
      I usually bang out the bulk of my writing in a word processing program (which catches typos), then go over it once to rewrite anything unclear, add anything I may have forgotten, etc.

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   2. 91

      Rochelle Frankposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I always make a peck of mistakes. One thing I try to do is print out a copy and read it from the paper copy. Don' know why this makes a difference, but it seems to help.
      
      I go back to older hubs occasionally-- especially if someone mentions something about how great it was. It always makes me curious about the 'greatness'-- and I usually find at least a typo or two.
      
      When I submitted to an editor (who was absolutely great about finding my boo-boos) I really tried to do my best, but she usually found a jot or two to improve.

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   3. 0

      DoorMattnomoreposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I mess up all the time, and re-read lots, and pretty much correct every day and still find more mistakes.

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2. 60

   Jane@CMposted 13 years ago

   I read & reread and still have errors.

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3. 67

   torimariposted 13 years ago

   Occasionally, especially if it is low performing. Plus, I always write it in word first, so I can see obvious errors.
   
   I actually just saved all my hubs to backup and in the format on hubpages. In doing so, I found more errors to proof whether gramatically or contextually.
   
   Since proofing recently, my scores have improved as well as traffic.

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4. 61

   tony0724posted 13 years ago

   If my hubs were any good I would probably be more concerned !

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5. 0

   ShadowKing!posted 13 years ago

   I do the same as Torimari--write first in Word, auto-correct it, then a manual check, leave it alone for a day, come back for one final quick proof, and finally post it. The shorter the piece, the work.

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6. 93

   wildernessposted 13 years ago

   I will generally proofread twice before publishing, and then come back in a week or so and proof it again.  I usually find more errors the third time - I seem to gloss over them if I've just written it.

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7. 82

   Rafiniposted 13 years ago

   I re-read when I go back to respond to a comment, especially if it's been awhile.

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8. 61

   Lisa HWposted 13 years ago

   Whether it's the wisest idea or not, I write the whole thing in WordPad (not a fan of MS Word) and then copy and paste it into the Hub text box.  I'll run the spell-check once and fix anything.  After that, I pretty much don't want to see the thing again (unless it's really necessary).  I guess my thing is, if I wrote it one way the first time around, it was because I thought that's how it should be.  I'm not likely to change my mind about it.  If I tried to write a draft it would change the whole dynamics of what happens because when I'm writing what I know will be the finished thing, I think it makes me a little more aware of choosing words carefully first time out.  As Blogging Erika said, with experience people find it easier.
   
   deweyduck, my tip would be to forget you're writing and, instead, think in terms of talking to someone (only using your typing to "put your brain on print").  Chances are, if you were talking to someone you wouldn't be worried about how you chose your words (at least most of the time).  Also, though, as you're "hearing" what you're "saying" (in your head), listen to what you're saying.  Be both the speaker and the listener, and think of how the "listener-you" is responding to what s/he's hearing.  Then let the "speaker-you" use that are the guide for where to take the reader ("listener-you").   I like to keep things simple (which is why I like WordPad) - just "speaker me" and "listener me" and the stringing of words.
   
     (Maybe after going through writing my Hub as both writer and "listener me", that's why I've had enough of it and don't want to see it again.    )

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9. 81

   earnestshubposted 13 years ago

   I write a hub in the template online and save it unpublished.
   This gets all the main article text written down so I have the bones of a hub.
   
   Then I add capsules like photos, text, links etc. until it is built. then I check it.
   I then re-read it when I get a comment, and often find typos or just lousy word use.
   As my subject matter is often automotive, the information needs updating often so I also make changes then.

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10. 92

    habeeposted 13 years ago

    I'll give you guys some free advice, so you know how much it might be worth. lol
    
    As a former writing instructor, I taught my students to let their writing "get cold" before they try to proof/edit. When you try to proof something you just wrote, your brain often makes corrections in your head, so you don't always catch your own errors.
    
    Sorry - just can't get rid of this "teacher curse"!

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    1. 81

       earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks habee, I can see that working for me. I think my proof reading picks up more if I leave it alone for a while. Good tip.
       
       My son is becoming a teacher, one more year to go. I think it is the most honourable of the professions myself. And what an honour to be allowed into the world of children as teachers are.

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11. 92

    habeeposted 13 years ago

    Earnest, teaching is an awesome career. Kudos to your son! I hope he loves it as uch as I did!

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    1. 81

       earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I think he will habee. He has always got on well with little ones, he listens to their stories and offers happy outcomes, just like a real teacher does!
       
       He knows the money is not great, university is a pain half the time, but although he had many other opportunities, he is sure of what he wants to do.

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12. 71

    Cagsilposted 13 years ago

    I always re-read my hubs. See if I can change or tweak them. I am still learning about keywords/tags and the usage of them.

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13. 92

    habeeposted 13 years ago

    That's great, Ernesto. Perhaps he was born to teach! I was offered a big job in Atlanta in PR right out of college, but I stuck to my dream of teaching, instead. I taught adult classes sometimes, but mostly worked with teens. Man, I miss those kids!

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14. 72

    Research Analystposted 13 years ago

    no matter how hard I try to proofread my work, I seem to find some things I missed, sometimes it takes a fresh pair of eyes to look over the work because when you are so involved it can be easy to overlook.

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