Of you’re using NaturalReader, I’d recommend getting one of the paid versions of the software. The free one only uses Microsoft Sam, which sounds very robotic. The $50 version comes with a couple of the more natural sounding voices. You can listen to voice samples on their web site:

http://www.naturalreaders.com/

If you don’t have someone who can proofread handy, then get the computer to read it back to you. There’s tons of text to speech software with computer generated voices out there, even free ones that use the (very robotic) default voice in Windows. I use NaturalSoft NaturalReader. It doesn’t sound exactly like a person, but good enough for proofreading.

Please do not laugh, even though while using this method again this evening, I am sniggering helplessly, all by myself.

For that special proofread, when you’ve done all your revising and beautifying, and the work is so good by now that you would DIE if typos got through, read it once more like this:

Aloud, in a high-pitched voice. Make it a cross between Rocky the Squirrel and Shelly Duval in “The Shining.” I don’t care if you’re a man, you guys do this even better than we do, and funnier. Slap out every syllable in that funny high voice, nice and loud if you like, and a tad FASTER than your normal speech, too, enough to keep you from constantly stopping to frown and worry.

SEE if this doesn’t save you from the God-awful seriousness that bogs some of us down forever. Naturally, this too is not for everyone.

Doesn’t mean it will be your last read-through, either. Just one of the many, for writers at their wits’ end about tweaking and typos. Being slightly silly doesn’t at all prevent me from hearing the real, intended cadence of the writing, or from spotting the typos I would MISS reading all normal and serious.

Yes, stepping away IS necessary above all. I “hate” people who hammer out great writing at a sitting and never have to look back. My brother does that for a living. When I ask him how he does it, he doesn’t tell, he just shrugs, like why can’t everyone?

(No need to mention that I happened on my new method by accident, during an angry little tizzy.)

Like this:
Bridgett glared AT HER. “Let GO OF HER hand, Charles, YOU’RE making HER perspire. SHE’S unused TO attention, obviously. SHE hasn’t HAD THIS much TO SAY IN AN entire year.”

This works great for people who cannot make themselves stop tweaking. If proofreading leads to endless mad tweaking when you thought you were finished, you will never get the thing proofread! More tweaking = more typos. Reading with emphasis on the little words catches left-out words AND keeps you from tweaking. How’re you going to tweak something when you’re concentrating on stressing the articles, infinitives, pronouns and conjunctions?

This method is best for that VERY…..LAST…READ. The one after which you are never going to look at it again, ever ever, because it’s finished. Do it at any stage to catch errors, but don’t make this your LAST proofread unless you know you are DONE with the manuscript/story/article/letter/blog comment.

Too, if your worst typo tendency is only to mis-punctuate, this method isn’t for you.

Looking for common mistakes is another good method. For example, I often write comemnt in place of comment!
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