4 Step Proofreading Strategy, And Stimulated Nude Scenes

November 6, 2007 by ian

Two great typos today point out why proofing is really important:

In an e-mail from Elastic Path. Can you spot the typo? In the subject line?:

Neil Gaiman found this one (I added the bold):

Angelina Jolie has admitted she was got a little shy when she saw her nude scenes in her latest film “Beowulf.” The actress says although the nude scenes were stimulated, she was still a little embarrassed. “I was a little shy,” she says. “I was really surprised that I felt that exposed. There were certain moments where I actually felt shy – and called home, just to explain that the fun movie that I had done that was digital animation was, in fact, a little different than we expected.”- From Transworld News

That may be the best one I've seen in weeks.

How I (Mostly) Proofread My Work

Here are the steps I take to minimize those typographical tragedies:

1. First, put your work aside for at least 30 minutes (if you can).
2. Read your work, a paragraph at a time, starting at the end.
3. Then, read your work, a sentence at a time, starting at the end.
4. Finally, read your work, a word at a time, starting at the end.

This technique forces me to examine each paragraph, then each sentence, then each word, individually. It's kept me out of trouble, aside from the Great Philsophy Massacre of 1997, which is another story.

No editors or proofreaders were harmed (or involved, probably) in the making of this e-mail.

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