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Find the mistake on this page and your first page of proofreading/editing is FREE!
When you present yourself to the world through your writing, it is vitally important that what is seen shows you to be intelligent, competent and accurate.
Unfortunately, even the best writer can get too close to their work, so involved in the thinking behind the writing that the writing itself suffers.
Simple errors slip in. A misspelled word, misplaced comma, uncapitalized word, and credibility is thereby undermined, causing readers to wonder whether the writer is competent to do what they promise. I once inquired of a pastor whether I could trust that he was truly “fundamental” since, on his website, it appeared that he couldn’t spell “fundamental”.
But, world-class proofreading does more than simply ensure that spelling and punctuation are correct (is it “cemetery” or “cemetary”?; use a semi-colon or start a new sentence?). Your computer’s spell-checker tells you if the word if spelled correctly. But it won’t tell you if that properly spelled word is the proper word for what you’re trying to communicate. “Ensure” or “insure”?; “effect” or “affect”?; “many” or “much”?; “correct” or “right”?; “good” or “well”?; “fast” or “quick”? Using an improper word, improperly sequencing words, writing run-on sentences (like this one), are all simple examples of the unlimited ways to make yourself look bad.
The best proofreader has wide life experience. What is the difference between “jealous” and “envious”?; “shocked” and “electrocuted”?; “booger” and “bugger”?; “mucous” and “mucus”?; “quick” and “fast”? Which is currently considered an insult – “dwarf” or “midget”? Do you know that those who have previously served in the U.S. Marine Corps are “former” rather than “ex-” Marines and that failing to capitalize Marine is insulting? A world-class proofreader has enough life experience to see the copy from the viewpoint of all readers, protecting the writer from miscommunication and bad impressions. I have that experience.
So, what will it be? Save a little and risk your credibility or spend a little and be assured that what you intend to communicate is what your readers see?
Call or e-mail me. The cost is $8.00 for each 300-word page, paid through PayPal in blocks of 10 pages or more. This does not include research to confirm your facts, but if you want that too, let’s talk about it. Talking is always free.
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