Ever since our first class meeting, your instructor has rather adamantly exclaimed that you should save your editing for grammar, punctuation, and mechanics (GPM) until very late in your drafting process. Well, we're getting to that point of the assignment, so let's go over a few strategies for self editing.
- Read aloud: Read your paper slowly and out loud. The key here is to move slowly through your composition, allowing yourself to recognize and fix any GPM errors. The theory behind this strategy is that if you get caught up or stumble while reading your own composition, then chances are, your readers will have similar troubles.
- Make it more fun! Read your paper out loud to yourself while looking at yourself in the mirror. It's kind of creepy at first, but it will help you invoke an imagined audience.
- Peer reading: You will need to physical copies of your draft to do this. Ask a friend to read your paper to you. Every time they get caught up or stumble, make a mark on your paper to remind yourself to go back to check and revise that section. After your friend has completed reading, have them go through the essay with you and have them explain the points they found confusing. They might even be able to point out GPM errors at this point.
- Make it more fun! If you're friend is theatrically inclined, ask them to read your paper in a character voice or in song.
- Backwards reading: As it's name suggests, this technique requires you to read your entire composition backwards. Yup, backwards. Word-for-word. It takes a long time, sure, but it's a terrific strategy for spotting punctuation and spelling errors.
- Make it more fun! Hold your paper up to a mirror and try to read it. I'm just kidding, that would be an insane waste of time. Unless...