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The final step in proofreading...

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Services for Real Estate Pros with Marte Cliff Copywriting

You might read your copy a dozen times on screen and think it's all "just right," and you might be wrong. 

That's probably OK for a blog post, since you can go back and correct errors if you catch them later, but when you're sending something to print, there's a final important step.

Print it out, then leave it alone overnight. The next day, come back and read with fresh eyes. 

You might be amazed at the small things you didn't see the day before.

  • It might be a sentence that would benefit from having one word changed to a better word.
  • It might be a place where you missed the "s" when you intended a plural.
  • It might be a sentence that simply sounds awkward and needs to be rearranged. 
  • It might be an "as" when you really meant an "is." 
  • It might be one extra letter in a word that changes the whole meaning and leaves readers confused. 

I have no idea why, but those little things are easier to spot in print than on a computer screen. 

Comments(20)

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Gayle Rich-Boxman Fishhawk Lake Real Estate
John L Scott Market Center - Birkenfeld, OR
"Your Local Expert!" 503-739-3843

Marte, definitely stepping back and reviewing later helps completely! I don't print things out hadn't thought of that. My awkward sentence structures often need TIME. Maybe even reading them aloud could help. 

You always deliver good words of editing/proofreading wisdom!

Mar 06, 2016 02:23 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Gayle Rich-Boxman Fishhawk Lake Realtor (503)755-2905 I'm amazed at how many little things I find in my own copy once I've printed it and left it until the next day to review. 

This morning, in a 1,600 word document I found 4 real errors/typos and 5  sentences that simply sounded better after I edited them. 

Mar 06, 2016 02:47 AM
Ronald DiLalla
Century 21 Discovery DRE 01813824 - Anaheim, CA
No. Orange Cty Real Estate

Good morning Marte,,thanks for sharing..I learned that lesson long time ago...Amazing what you find when you read a printed copy

Mar 06, 2016 03:04 AM
Susan Laxson CRS
Palm Properties - La Quinta, CA
Realtor in San Diego, CA & Naples, FL

Coming back with fresh eyes later is always a good idea and reminder! Many times I find better words after a break from the computer screen.  Thanks for sharing!

Mar 06, 2016 03:08 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Ronald DiLalla It really is. Somehow, it just looks different and you see more.

Susan Laxson "Better words" is the reason why I keep a thesaurus at my desk. 

Mar 06, 2016 03:38 AM
Susan Haughton
Long and Foster REALTORS (703) 470-4545 - Alexandria, VA
Susan & Mindy Team...Honesty. Integrity. Results.

Sometimes instinctively we just know when something is not quite right...but we get rushed, we get tired...it's always best to put it aside, as you say, and let it percolate.  

Mar 06, 2016 06:42 AM
William Feela
WHISPERING PINES REALTY - North Branch, MN
Realtor, Whispering Pines Realty 651-674-5999 No.

I am never totally comfortable with what I write...Gramar and spelling were my 2 worst subjects in school and it has not gotten any better

Mar 06, 2016 07:09 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

William Feela It would be a strange world if we all had the same talents. 

Mar 06, 2016 07:20 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Marte- you are right on with this one.  I have been trying hard to sleep on my post and reread it the next morning before  I post it.  

Mar 06, 2016 07:37 AM
Jane Peters
Home Jane Realty - Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles real estate concierge services

I totally agree. You catch may more when something is printed than when trying to check it online.

Mar 06, 2016 08:11 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Kathy Streib I seldom do it for blog posts, but I sure do for client work and my newsletter. And even then... sometimes something slips by. I wish I was a more accurate typist, but I seem to be getting more inaccurate all the time. 

Jane Peters I wonder why that is? 

Mar 06, 2016 08:19 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Susan Haughton Sometimes it's OK to go with "not quite" and sometimes it's not. When only "perfect" will do, we need to have patience. 

Mar 06, 2016 08:39 AM
Francine Viola
Coldwell Banker Evergreen Olympic Realty, Olympia WA - Olympia, WA
REALTOR®, In Tune with your Real Estate Needs

Couldn't agree more.  Although I get impatient and want to mail out my newsletter right then and there, I know better because the next day could reveal missed typos and other errors.   

Mar 06, 2016 10:19 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Francine Viola My worst goof on a newsletter was not double-checking a link - and it was no good. I don't know how I got it wrong, since I generally copy and paste, but I did. 

Things like that sure can make a person feel foolish. 

Mar 06, 2016 12:15 PM
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

You are so right.  The years I worked as a graphic artist/typesetter the mistakes were SO easy to spot once printed.  And with time not on my side many a typo was corrected with an xacto knife instead of a re-print.

Mar 06, 2016 01:31 PM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Tammy Lankford - I'm glad I never had that job. I'd have gotten the correction in crooked. 

I do wonder why it's so much easier to see errors in print - and why it's easier to see errors in AR posts AFTER you've hit the publish button. 

Mar 07, 2016 02:39 AM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400
HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400 - Pikesville, MD
Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome

How interesting that it is easier to spot errors on paper ..easier than on a computer screen.

Mar 07, 2016 12:41 PM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Margaret Rome, Baltimore Maryland - And why is that? 

Mar 07, 2016 12:47 PM
Steven Hollowell
Keller Williams Metropolitan Realty - Houston, TX

So true. I have read and re read some things that I write. I will go back two days later and find mistakes. I have found if possible to have someone else read it before, final copy.

Mar 08, 2016 05:53 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Steven Hollowell And unless that "someone else" has an eagle eye, they might also miss things. We just have to keep doing our best to catch those errors, knowing that now and then, one will slip by. I've even found them in hard-bound books printed by big-name publishing houses. 

Mar 08, 2016 07:09 AM
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