As a freelancer writer, you would think that proofreading would come naturally to me, and it does. But only when I'm doing client work. Often when I throw a post up on the blog, I want to pour my ideas onto the page and post it while it's still steaming hot. The only problem with that is, two days later I will open up my blog and find embarrassing mistakes. From typos to sentences that I wrote and incorrectly rewrote during my first attempt, I almost always find at least one boo-boo after the fact.
I often wonder if I find them later because at that point I'm far enough removed and have a pair of fresh eyes, or if it's because I just wasn't all that careful the first time I posted. If you had already read my last entry, you may have noticed a few small issues, which have now been corrected.
I was reminded of the importance of proofing by an email I received today. It was a prospective client who was writing to let me know that he had checked out my website. My website? Oh yeah, that web address that's in my professional email address and that I'm pushing everywhere from my business card to my email signature. The first thing I thought was, "what is the first post right now?" So, I went and read it and found no less than three major errors caused by careless rewrites.
This served as a major reminder. Even though this blog is just that, a blog and not a professional brochure, it's still the place that many prospective clients come to sample my writing. That makes it as much a portfolio as a platform for my musings on freelancing and life. So, I've been formally reminded: proof or pay.
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