One of the writer’s greatest challenges is finding their fresh eyes.
I’m always amazed at the completion of a draft or even a revision that there are missing words or typos in something I’ve read over so many times. How do you look at something you’ve written and see it anew?
Send to a friend
A friend recently asked me to look over an article and I became the fresh eyes when she didn’t have time. I made a couple of suggestions that ended up making the article stronger and she wouldn’t have thought about in her tired state. If you’re working on something important, send to a friend. Or rather, develop that relationship where you and a friend agree to send each other work.
See your own work fresh through time
I always try to finish work the day before a deadline so I can give it one last read in the morning. Not only am I catching those last typos, but a night’s sleep can also bring fresh eyes to the substantive content, allowing me to take points further, edit quotes to be tighter, and sometimes even think of a better headline.
Audio readthrough
Another tool I’ve discovered more recently is to use the Read Aloud feature in Word (under the review tab). Hearing my work read aloud by a tinny mechanical voice gives me a fresh run-through of the material. It’s especially useful for catching missing or repeated words that my eyes just skip over.
How do you keep your eyes fresh?
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