Copy Tip: Proofread backward

Self editing is one of the most daunting tasks a writer can face. Every loving word is important from your POV, so how do you know what to cut? How do you spot a typo that you wrote and have already missed 10 times? The answer is when you think you have your final draft, you don’t. There’s one last step: Proofread your copy backward, word for word. You’d be amazed at what you spot. Frequently including:

Catching typos and misspellings

Proofreading your copy backwards is a technique that can help you catch errors that you might have missed otherwise, especially spelling errors.

Finding redundant words

When you read your work backwards, it forces your brain to focus on each individual word a little more since the flow of the sentences is lost.

Discovering missing punctuation

It's also a useful technique to ensure that sentences, paragraphs etc flow correctly, as again it's forcing you to read it as something unfamiliar and concentrate harder than you normally would.