All solo freelance writers: who proof reads your work? Do you use friends / family / companies?

I used to be part of Comms team who I could rely on check my work but now I am going solo I’m interested to know who you go to for editing etc. Do companies exist? Would you use one if there was on?

Replies13

  • @Vikki Ross That's a brilliant tip! Definitely gonna follow this the next time.
  • I do it myself - here are some tips:

    1. Do a spellcheck in Word
    2. Print your doc off and look at each word - don't read the sentences, just read the words to check they're how and where they should be
    3. Now read the doc backwards - basically don't read normally because your brain will trick you
  • I’m also a big Grammarly fan but I also occasionally have friends have a read over if I don’t feel 100% about a piece. I have one friend in particular who is the best error hunter!

    I also do around six drafts of everything and I also print copy out still as I need to hover with a pen over each letter to sense check ☺️
  • I use grammarly most of the time. The free version checks gramatical mistakes and sentence structure while the pro version does word suggestion, tone of voice check etc. I recommend getting the pro version especially if you have a client currently. Works absolute wonders! https://app.grammarly.com/
  • @Claire Stafford I'm in the States and use a couple based on number of words or document size as one could cost significantly more than another. I recommend a quick search in the UK of copwriting services and base your need on the numbers of words in your document/format (webbased or in hand)/blog etc.
    Hope that helps some.
  • I take two approaches to having my work proofed and copyedited.

    -Pay for a well-reviewed service or individual to do the detail job.
    -Offer what I've written to someone I trust to read it and give me their take.

    The pro will provide the corrections and polish on what I've written and the friend will offer feedback on the tone and feel of what I've written.

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