I’ve often found it frustrating that no matter how many times I re-read my own stuff, a typo can still squeak through. What the heck?? How could I have missed it? I don’t know how it got there, I just know it wasn’t there before!! And then I realize what I’m dealing with.
Familiarity.
Yep – I’ve become too close to what I’m writing; too familiar with the sentences and where they’re leading. After several times through the material, I can literally feel my brain start to pick up speed as I read. I gloss over groups of words with a sense of knowing. My brain’s expectations have already been met; as far as it’s concerned, we’re good to go.
More than one client of mine has expressed embarrassment at errors I’ve picked up in what they thought was publish-ready material. I get it. We all go through the same thing. We all get too close and lose our ability to catch even the smallest of errors. And often it is the small things, which I think is what really pisses us off and makes us question ourselves!
So just remember, you’re not losing it. You are that awesome wordsmith with stellar proofreading skills. But typos happen, and you work really hard and your writing is really, really important. Know when you’ve hit the wall and you’re starting to use the ‘f’ word.
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