5. Revise & Proofread - Narrative 3

Lesson Set E: Proofread Your Writing

Lesson 21: Guidelines for Proofreading

To edit is to search for and repair problems both in wording and in logic. To proofread is to prepare for publication. Good readers catch even the tiniest of errors. These errors act like a pot-hole in the road, jarring momentarily. Minor errors are abrasive and rough, diverting the reader's mind from the story. The best way to learn to edit and to proofread is to edit yourself, then ask others to edit for you and make use of their corrections. Learn to see what you missed.

Narrative 3 is the final Draft, ready for publishing. This Lesson is an overview of the final edit. You will apply these guidelines during Lab 5: Write Narrative 3.

• E-Docs: 1. Editing and Proofreading from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2. Proofreading (5 different pages for you to consider) from the Purdue Online Writing Lab, and Guidelines for Proofreeding. 

Be sure to enroll in the course in order to access all of the documents.

I learned the importance of editing. Back in high school, I would never look back at any of my papers. I was afraid to find mistakes. However, this Writing Course gave me the confidence to go ahead and edit my paper. Editing makes a better paper, one that stands out. - Cynthia

 

• Task: Read through the webpages linked above. Print our Guidelines for Proofreading, study it carefully, and place it in your Notebook; you will follow these guidelines in Lab 5: Narrative 3. Then purchase at least two of the following books. These are useful to you as a writer long-term.

I find The Most Common Mistakes in English Usage by Thomas Berry to be useful. The classic work on editing is Strunk & White's The Elements of Style. If you are serious about writing well, purchase these books. You will also want to obtain a good pocket grammar. One of the two shown would be an excellent choice. Always make note of the "used" prices.
 

The Most Common Mistakes in English Usage   by Thomas Berry	Strunk & White's The Elements of Style.   (Do not get the Kindle edition)
Random House Webster's Pocket Grammar	A Norton Pocket Guide to Grammar and   Punctuation

Proofreading is the craft of finding all the little mistakes in one's writing. In the larger world there is a distinction made between revising, editing, and proofreading. Revising includes a re-assessment of ideas, a judgement of organization, further development of voice, better and more effective word choice, and the re-arranging of sentence structure to flow more powerfully.

Editing focuses on accuracy. Are the citations correct? Are the facts accurate? Are the arguments legal? Are the thesis and topics clear? Finally, proofreading tackles conventions and presentation. Your final edit can include small improvements in word choice and sentence structure, but more than that and you are back to revision.

Proofreading is always last. Spelling, punctuation, and other conventions are always little problems. There is no purpose in correcting the punctuation in a paragraph you will cut when revising. It is no problem to fix little mistakes that you see, but proofreading as a task takes place only after revising is finished. Far better not to weigh yourself down with worrying over little mistakes as you revise.
 

Lesson 22: Conventions

Your Narrative paper has come a long way without your spending one second thinking about spelling or punctuation mistakes. But now, after your paper is nearly ready for publishing, you must think about the little "mistakes," the nasty things that hinder the free flow of great ideas.

Find the most effective way to fix your own minor mistakes. Clue: Don't waste any time fixing someone else's grammar or spelling or punctuation mistakes. Your own are all you need to worry about.

"Conventions" deals with grammar, sentence structure, and word usage; punctuation, spelling, and capitalization.

The Writing Conservatory gives you a unique handle on these things. Many approaches to writing ask you to process the entirety of grammar conventions, hoping you will somehow pick up those few things you need. Our approach enables you to focus on your own personal needs, not things you already know. Learn to correct your own mistakes, not those belonging to others.
  

Lesson 23: Outside Edit

Learn the best trick there is to deal with all those pesky little rules you miss. No need to memorize the grammar book - hire an editor - and learn from the point-by-point correcting of your own mistakes. It's amazing how quickly these same mistakes disappear from your writing.

Revising and editing are half the work of writing well. Some experienced authors will rework a piece 20-30 times or more before being fully satisfied. Any published book sees a great deal of behind-the-scenes work, checking facts, nit-picking every bit of punctuation, and so on.

This course is built on the premise that we learn to write well when we correct our own writing against the critiquing given by others. It is always valid to find or even hire an editor. However, it only belongs to you if you make the corrections yourself, weighing the validity of each suggestion.

Of course, your editor is marking your paper as you progress through this unit. The important thing, however, is for you to enlarge your understanding of the whole process of revising and editing.

• Task: You will notice when you receive the Narrative 3 Rubric that 10 points are given to having an edited copy. Very simply, when you have Narrative 3 nearly finished, print out a paper copy. Then, find an "editor" to mark the paper copy. If possible, pick a tough grammar "master," not someone who will say, "Oh, this sounds nice." Even if you already have a regular editor, the purpose is to obtain a new set of eyes, so, yes, still complete this lesson by finding someone else to also critique and mark your writing.

Another option would be to hire an editor online. In that case you will send them your paper as an attachment, but require them to mark and comment only. They may not make any changes. Print out their marked copy and add it to your notebook. Online editors often charge around $5 a page, making the cost to you $10-20, a very reasonable cost for what you will learn.

Then, go through the editor's suggestions carefully. Judge each suggested correction against your own writing style, and against a grammar handbook. Make use of most of the suggested corrections, but if you have a strong reason to keep your original, do so.
 

Lesson 24: Presentation

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Your writing is perfect, filled with great characters, edge of the seat action, and visible, tastable imagery. Danger!! It could yet be tossed into the trash can. Appealing to the eye is the final piece of the puzzle. Learn the secrets that make your reader want to pick up your Narrative and read just by looking at it!

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Presentation deals with the overall appearance on the page, heading, title, spacing, margins, and so on.

• Task: Open the MLA Formatting and Style Guide from Purdue Online. Learn the MLA style of formatting. Print what you need and add it to your Notebook.

Presentation also deals with more intuitive elements of the appearance on the page. It considers how the mind and eye work, and what layout "look" draws people in versus a "look" that drives potential readers away. Make your Narrative 3 as attractive to the eye in printed form as you can.

Note: You will see on the Narritive 3 Rubric that a "Title" is now required for your paper as part of this presentation section. Devise a catchy title that fits your story.
 

Lesson 25: Review of Narrative Writing Skills

Before you prepare your Personal Narrative for publication do one final exercise. Go through each of the writing skills you have learned in this Unit and be certain both that you are clear on how to apply that skill and also that you have done so, fully, in your Narrative Paper. The review in this Block attempts to present those skills from a slightly different angle than before so that you have a further depth of understanding each of these skills.

• E-Docs: Review of Narrative Writing Skills. Read through the review carefully. Be sure that you have worked on every part in revising your paper.

Writing Is Fun  When you look back at all the greatest writers of the past or look at all the great writers today, you cannot help but be struck by how very different they are. They each have differences of opinion, style, and perspective. But one thing they all have in common is this - they expressed what they thought, what they felt, and what they experienced. I want to do that. I want to tell my story the best way I can. I may not portray human thought and action like Dostoevsky or revolutionize modern prose like Hemingway, but I want to express what I think and feel to the best of my ability. – Matthew

 

Lab 5: Write Narrative 3

Now you are ready to make your Personal Narrative Paper sing. At this point, those learning to write so often produce a story that is vivid and meaningful, astonishingly well-written. There are times when I, as a teacher, have been so moved by the story that I forget I am reading a "student" paper. Whenever that has happened (more than once), I simply wrote a 100% A+ at the top of the paper. You have become an effective writer.

• E-Docs: Narrative 3 Rubric w/ Explanations

Narrative 3 Rubric

This PDF also includes the blank rubric for your own editor.

You will need your Narrative 2 Draft with all the comments and markings from your editor. You will also need your pocket grammar. Have the Narrative 3 Rubric in front of you, study it carefully so that you will know exactly how your Narrative 3 Draft will be marked. Also, refer to the Review of Narrative Writing Skills and the Guidelines to Editing.

• Write: Write Narrative 3. This is a process. Follow the Guidelines for Revision and the Guidelines for Proofreading, checking through your draft over and over. Check your draft against each point in the Rubric before you count it finished.

• Send: When you are finished, email your Narrative 3 to your editor as an attachment titled "Narrative 3".

Your editor will mark your Narrative 3, add comments to a blank Rubric, and return it to you. Your editor may also ask for your permission to publish your Narrative paper at The Writing Conservatory.

Once you have received back Narrative 3, this Unit is completed. Keep your Notebook and all the e-documents received for further units and as a resource for all your future writing.
  Thank You. Happy Writing!