“Ugh, shut up” is a natural reaction when people give you unsolicited criticism. You don’t want to hear it.

But do you like when an editor corrects your writing? Do you see the benefit?

Stubborn writers who don’t believe that someone else should check their work stunt their writing’s growth and potential. Similarly, sloppy editors who make arbitrary revisions or incorrect edits for the sake of making changes fail to succeed as a writer’s ally. You’ll find both types of people in the literary world.

Writing is an artistic creation—original, informative sentences composed out of thin air. When you put your thoughts in writing, a document becomes an extension of yourself. Some writers are extremely protective of their work, and I don’t blame them. It’s easy to take criticism personally, and no one wants to hear discouraging feedback after he’s spent a long time crafting a piece of writing. If you publish your work quickly after it’s written, you don’t have to deal with the headache of finding a solution for weak areas.

However, when we spend hour-after-hour staring at words that originated in our minds, overlooking our own writing mistakes is common. A second set of eyes that double-checks the accuracy of your writing helps ensure that you convey the correct message. Even if you don’t want the content of your writing analyzed, a thorough proofreading can improve your writing and catch errors that do indeed affect the clarity of your text.

Proofreading is especially important when there are similar words in your field. The words “resign” and “re-sign” are both relevant in sports headlines, but they have different meanings. Mistakenly choosing the wrong word substantially alters a news announcement.

For example, a sports player may “re-sign” with a team for subsequent seasons. The writer reporting this news may view the word “re-sign” as “resign” in his mind and carelessly omit the hyphen when he transcribes the news story. Readers are then lead to believe that the player plans to “resign” (retire).

Since no journalist wants a “CORRECTION” notice issued in regard to an error that he made, it’s important that writers get their work fact-checked, copyedited, and proofread.

Writers and editors who have a strong, compatible relationship strike a balance that makes your writing brilliant. Inspired by the hyphenated word, “re-sign,” here’s a quick breakdown of three different types of dashes.

hyphen: -

en-dash: –

em-dash: —

Use a hyphen (the key to the right of the number “0” on your keyboard) to join words: error-free writing.

Use an en-dash (PC: Alt + 0150, Mac: Option + Hyphen) to indicate range, specify a relationship, or break a word and continue it on the next line: 8:00 – 10:00 p.m.

Use an em-dash (PC: Alt + 0151, Mac: Shift + Option + Hyphen) within a sentence to denote a thought similar to a parenthetical reference: The words “compliment” and “complement” almost have the same spelling—only one letter is different.

Have you spotted incorrect dash use lately? Share your favorite grammar, spelling, or punctuation mistakes in the comments below.



Author Bio:
Stefanie Flaxman is a freelance copy editor and author of a new book about heartbreak.