How Much Do You Proofread Before Posting Chapters?

[Legacy]

Was always sort of curious about what people did as far as proofreading goes. How much time do you spend proofreading after you finish writing? Do you have a beta reader to help you? Do you edit as you go?

I was just curious what y'all do. I like write for a while, then go back and read what I've written to make sure it sounds okay. I probably do this 5 or 6 times per chapter. Then at the end I give it one last read. I don't use a beta reader, although I know I should (I have lots of little typos that I notice later).

What do you guys do?

 

[Jabberjaw]

My writing process for proof reading? Im precise.

-I write a paragraph's worth of material.
-Proofread. Correct any mistakes.
-I re-write the sentences so they will flow better for the reader.
-I add anything(imagery ect.) that I think will add to the story.
-Re-Proofread.
-Continue on in this order til the Chapter is finished.
-Read the chapter in its entirety. Give myself the green light.

-Post.

-Slap myself in the face when I read it one last time and still have 4 or 5 errors. Each chapter takes 4-7 hours of writing.

 

[Falconwing]

I write the whole thing.

Then read it once.

Do a quick search to make sure I'm not making any plotholes (Yeah, I hope no one noticed the big one in my last chapter. I managed to fix an earlier chapter so it worked, but initially I forgot a major detail.)

Then I read it again.

Then I publish it.

Then Gastly's Mama points out what I missed.

 

[Captain GIROG]

I read through. Very. Very. Slowly.

 

[Der_Neuevenmenschen]

I proofread post-writing the chapter.

 

[Zekurom]

Just a bit. I will read it over a few times, but not always for proofreading.

 

[Roulette]

I proof read it once, fix anything I catch, then post it. Then I read again and fix the other stuff I missed the first time lol.

 

[Aladar]

After a write it, I leave it until the next day so the immediate post-writing bias can wear off at least a little. Then I proofread it two times. The first one to spot any mistakes and correct/alter sentences etc and the second one fro any left-over mistakes.

 

[Trouble]

I first proofread as I go, scanning the words I wrote previously. Grammar mistakes, to my knowledge, are rare because of that. I then read over the story, not for grammar, but for story content. After I'm mostly satisfied, I post whatever I've written, then I read it all again and make any edits I see are necessary. I'll come back around to it the next time I log in, just to make sure I got it just right to my knowledge. Catching any more mistakes afterward will be up to other readers.

 

[Giratina!]

For Abecedarian, I read parts of what I have before the chapter is done, finish writing, check it out quickly, and then put it up. For Wings Have We (which has a beta reader, something Abecedarian doesn't) I write it, check over it, send it to my beta reader, fix the stuff pointed out, and likely make some corrections of my own.

 

[Gama]

For as much as I tell people to proof read when they make mistakes I don't actually proof read that much, I always curse myself for it. I do usually read over each chapter before I write it though.

And, Ryuu, it's a pleasure =P

 

[Kayi Rowling]

Well, I'm better known for writing one-shots and drabbles (elsewhere, not in this fandom), and I admit I rarely proofread in those cases... However, for stories with actual chapters that are not just a bunch of separate drabbles stringed together, the proofreading process is long and mildly masochistic.

Say, for example, the writing process for Garnets and Cherries:

1. Read from the first chapter until the current point before starting a new one.
2. Start writing one section of the new chapter.
3. If I ever get stuck while writing it, re-read the current section and the last bits of the previous one.
3.a) If I don't like how it flows with the previous section, or even all by itself, I delete it whole if the fixes are more than three and not so minor, and I go back to point 2.
3.b) If I like it as it is, the pointer moves toward a new section and the process repeats itself from step 2, until the word count reaches a value within a mildly-secret range, then I proceed to step 4.
4. I read the whole chapter with all its sections. If it doesn't flow correctly, it will get deleted in its entirety again and the process starts anew from 1; otherwise, I go on.
5. I do a quick read from chapter one to the current point, including the new chapter. The same as the previous step applies.
6. Lastly, I publish the new chapter after some heavy format editing.

The "flow" of the story here includes:

Spoiler

spelling and grammar (with English not being part of my every day life, I'm always very concerned about these two), styles (Silver's sections are a little bit different from Giovanni's), continuity and plot-stuff, the presence of running gags and once-a-chapter events, etc.

...Anyways, it's long and tedious, and it's painful and obsessive, but it's worth it.

I'm still hoping I won't be like this for other stories.

 

[revolvingscott]

I follow a standard routine.

• I write an entire chapter.
• I try to read it and get bored.
• I try to read it again. Finishing it this time.
• I send it off to a beta if I have one at the time D)
• I make any necessary changes to it after that.
• I pretend to read it a final time.
• I post it.
• I make more and more edits to it as they come to me.

You're all perfectly welcome to steal my system if your intent is to do nothing and take your time doing it.

 

[Marcat]

1) I write the chapter (I could write piece by piece or at once)
2) I proof read once to make sure that there are no spelling mistakes
3) Then again read it again to make sure there are no grammar mistakes
4) Then for story content (details)
5) Post it and make changes if a reader points it out.

Because I take such a long time, I could finish a chapter yet wait around 2 days to post it.

 

[alster08]

I really try to proofread really good but somehow Im not that good at it.

First I make sure that all spelling his correct.

I then add details.

Once done I read through it to make sure that it makes sence and I didn't leave anything out.

The I read it again just as if I was a reveiwer.

Post it.

Fix any mistakes pointed out by veiwers.

 

[Lugion]

I usually catch most of my mistakes while I'm writing, and only really started proofreading and changing things with the Prologue for Legion.

Yeah, I'm lazy.

 

[Lurking]

Ahh... this is always an awkward question for me. I always suggest to others to proofread like crazy and spellcheck and everything, but I don't proofread my own chapters. It's awfully hypocritical, now that I think about it...

Anyways, my chapter writing looks like this:

Day 1: New Chapter posted, stuff
Day 2: I think about prewriting the next chapter, decide not to, and go do something else
Day 3: I think again about prewriting, and tell myself I have more time and don't need to
Day 4: I convince myself that I'm too busy to post, or I actually am too busy to post. It varies.
Late Night of day 5: I realize that I have to post a chapter right now and hurridley type one out. By then, it's gotten really late and I have homework and stuff, so I just post it real quick
Days 6-10: Occassional people come by and point out the glaringly obvious errors to me, I headdesk and edit.
Rinse and repeat.

xD
Yeah, it would be better if I prewrote; the quality of my chapters would be so much better, but I never get around to it. Most of the chapters that people see are just first drafts...

 

[White Len]

Does "too much" count as an answer?

 

[Shinneth]

I have a tendency to proofread without "meaning" to since rereading the progress I have is necessary for me to properly start where I left off in a chapter. Just to get into the swing of it, so to speak. Along the way I'll tend to catch some errors here and there and try to correct some areas of redundancy (I have a problem with that - both in writing and just casually talking), or just reword sentences along the way.

Considering I write very long chapters and the majority of my typos aren't caught because I simply missed a key and ended up with another legitimate word (which doesn't fit in the sentence) that spellcheck won't catch of course, and eyes play tricks on you yadda yadda yadda. Most recently I typed "like" when I meant to type "line" when updating my FFN profile, for example. That's usually the problems I suffer the most aside from the redundancy, but like I said, I subconsciously reread my progress a lot just so I can finish what I start, so I catch the vast majority of my mistakes by that alone. Some always slip by regardless and I'll catch them after my chapters are completed and posted, but I'm just sorta "oh well" about it and hope no one nitpicks it. I'm lazy, yeah.

Never once have I had a beta look over anything before I post it.

 

[Captain GIROG]

Ahh... this is always an awkward question for me. I always suggest to others to proofread like crazy and spellcheck and everything, but I don't proofread my own chapters. It's awfully hypocritical, now that I think about it...

Anyways, my chapter writing looks like this:

Day 1: New Chapter posted, stuff
Day 2: I think about prewriting the next chapter, decide not to, and go do something else
Day 3: I think again about prewriting, and tell myself I have more time and don't need to
Day 4: I convince myself that I'm too busy to post, or I actually am too busy to post. It varies.
Late Night of day 5: I realize that I have to post a chapter right now and hurridley type one out. By then, it's gotten really late and I have homework and stuff, so I just post it real quick
Days 6-10: Occassional people come by and point out the glaringly obvious errors to me, I headdesk and edit.
Rinse and repeat.

xD
Yeah, it would be better if I prewrote; the quality of my chapters would be so much better, but I never get around to it. Most of the chapters that people see are just first drafts...

I'd never be able to do that. I'm OCD about having at least three chapters prewritten whenever I post.