What do you do if your written work needs proofreading and editing?

Who doesn't need proofreading and editing? Even the best of the best in the writing world need someone to check their works for errors. But if you aren't happy about the amount of mistakes in your first draft, I suggest you increase your content intake - in other words, read more. Read. Read. Read. Adopt different styles. Seek out your niche. Learn more expressions. Boost your vocab. That's it. That should do the trick.

First of all, you need to know what exactly is it that you want to get done. Do you want to get it proofread, drafted or do you need additional help with it? Is the work complete in itself or will it require an editor as well? Analysing these things beforehand can help you outline what exactly is it that you require and you can pursue it better.

If my written work needs proofreading and editing, I'd first take a break to gain a fresh perspective. Then, I'd read through it carefully and make note of any errors or areas that need improvement. After that, I might ask a friend or colleague to review it or consider hiring a professional editor for a thorough polish.

When we write we are often not aware of things that may be wrong or need fixing and improvement in our own writing. We see everything needed and necessary and important. When you give your text to a professional editor, they would be able to fix and improve and tighten your language and remove repetitions etc etc

Revise with a critical eye, refining language, structure, and coherence. Seek outside perspectives or utilize proofreading tools to ensure clarity and polish before finalizing your written masterpiece.

While it is not a bad idea to have someone else edit your work, you should still edit it once/twice so you can ensure that the structure is as good as you want it to be and only errors/punctuations are to be edited. Doing so may help you improve your own skills as well as decrease reliance on others, and also requires less work to do so maybe you would have to spend lesser than you would have.

Leave it until the following day if possible, otherwise take a break and come back to it. Many times the first thing you see is an error! I also have colleagues who I ask to look over my final version, it's always helpful to pick up on those pesky typos.

Reviewing your own work is paramount. It's highly unlikely that your first draft will be perfect. Revising is part of the writing process, and it's important to learn to look at your writing with a critical eye and ear. Reading aloud is a great method for finding things that just don't sound right, but it has its downsides (you may unconsciously skip words or correct things in your head). Text-to-speech technology adds another layer of separation between you and the text, and you'll have an even easier time picking out errors spoken by a computer voice that doesn't know your intent.

In my experience, after completing the first draft, I usually advise taking a break from the script. This allows you to recharge your energy and approach it with a fresh perspective the following time (it might take days, weeks, months, or even years). Upon reviewing it, begin self-editing and repeat the process until you are confident that your writing is polished.

After self review, and before handing it over to a professional, adding a layer may help you get a third person’s POV on your work, and they might notice someone crucial. It often happens when we’re editing our own work that we miss minute details, hence this feedback becomes important. Ensure the person you’re getting to do this has an expertise, or at least interest in the topic. If it’s not engaging it might be tough for them to stick around.

After self-editing, have a peer review your work. I usually reach out to someone with experience, someone with a bit of experience (it can be a student), as well as someone who is solely a reader. This provides diverse perspectives on your work, enabling you to refine and improve it further.

Hiring a professional is always the best way to enhance your work. Their expertise will provide you with additional tools to improve your project. While they may come at a cost, their input adds significant value to your work. However, it's essential to be selective in your choice of professional. Look for those with experience in the direction you want to pursue or at least within the niche you aim to focus on.

Though writers do not usually condone to using AI writing tools, keep in mind they are what they are called "Tools", and what are tools for? to help us make our work easier. Once our content is done, and after a self-check we can go online and make use of the free grammar checkers and find out all punctuation errors and omissions that may have missed our attention

In my experience, utilizing tools can be beneficial but not indispensable. For instance, I suggest using AI to gain a better understanding of phrasal verbs or to overcome language barriers, along with accessing any necessary information. However, as the name implies, they are merely tools, and you should use them to aid your progress rather than relying solely on them. What I mean is, if you require information, utilize AI to a certain extent, but then conduct thorough research on your own.