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Blog was last modified on July 2nd, 2016 by Proof Communications Team

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Sometimes you need to murder your darlings

July 1, 2019

B2B documents, Editing, How to win business, Writing tips

You’ve worked hard to articulate a point, to fine-tune a turn of phrase and now, of course, you’re emotionally attached to it. It’s painful to delete it, but what if it doesn’t serve your writing? What if it distracts from your key points? This is a challenge that all writers face, and one that was first expressed over a hundred years ago by Arthur Quiller-Couch. In his book ‘On the Art of Writing’, first published in 1916, he wrote: “Whenever…

Sometimes you need to murder your darlings was last modified on July 1st, 2019 by Proof Communications Author

When saving on a proofreader is a false economy

June 27, 2019

Proofreading tips, Typos, Writing tips

Now that the brouhaha over the RBA’s apparent inability to pick up a typo in an entire batch of newly-minted pineapples – the fruity vernacular for a $50 note – has died down, it’s timely to ask, “Just how could this have happened?” With remarkable ease, apparently. All it takes is an absence of the proofreading process. For the benefit of anyone who’s been holidaying on Mars, the recent currency fiasco which left Australia’s central bank distinctly red-faced occurred when…

When saving on a proofreader is a false economy was last modified on June 27th, 2019 by Proof Communications Author

What does a proofreader actually do?

June 13, 2019

Annual reports, B2B documents, Grammar tips, Proofreading tips, Typos, Writing tips

If you’re writing a document that will be read by your board, your management team, investors, other stakeholders, clients or prospective clients, you’ll naturally want the content to be the best it can be. That’s where an experienced proofreader comes in. If there’s a risk that there are typos or other errors in the document, professional proofreading is vital. A proofreader doesn’t suggest major edits or rewrites. A proofreader is there to very carefully read through the content to identify…

What does a proofreader actually do? was last modified on June 13th, 2019 by Proof Communications Author

What’s your writing style?

June 12, 2019

B2B documents, copywriting, How to win business, Writing tips

What’s your writing style? Do you plan it out or make it up as you go along? Some business writers just start writing; they don’t know where they’re going, but trust that they’ll find their way as they write. Sometimes it leads to more creative writing as the mind is free to wander and discover new possibilities. Other times, the writing completely loses its way and becomes unfocused and repetitive. Certainly, most people find magic happens when in the creative…

What’s your writing style? was last modified on June 12th, 2019 by Proof Communications Author

How to avoid mistakes in your important business documents

June 5, 2019

Annual reports, B2B documents, Grammar tips, How to win business, Proofreading tips, Typos, Writing tips

It would be a crying shame if a document you’ve spent countless hours working on is riddled with errors when it’s released online or in print. Consider the recent $50 note fiasco. It’s usually only later, after the document has been read by a few people, that the mistakes become obvious. You probably ask colleagues to proofread your important documents. When we’re asked to proofread annual and business reports, financial statements, PDSs, RAPs, tenders or proposals, clients often tell us:…

How to avoid mistakes in your important business documents was last modified on June 5th, 2019 by Proof Communications Author

Sorry, use this version instead

May 29, 2019

Annual reports, B2B documents, Grammar tips, Proofreading tips, Punctuation, Typos, Writing tips

The oft-used email subject line ‘Sorry, use this version instead’ can have a myriad of stories behind it, but most often it’s to email an updated version of a document that was emailed only a short time ago. The reason? Usually, because many people are involved in contributing to the document’s content, which results in a myriad of changes. Even with version control, it’s extremely easy for a document’s quality to diminish during the writing and editing process. Annual reports,…

Sorry, use this version instead was last modified on May 29th, 2019 by Proof Communications Author

You know the feeling when you notice a mitsake in your important document – after it’s been released?

May 23, 2019

Annual reports, Proofreading tips

Aooccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteres are in the rghit pclae. While spelling and grammar brainteasers can be fun to work out, there’s no joy in finding mistakes in your important stakeholder documents after they’ve been released – in print or online. And it’s so easy to miss what later seems obvious. Just consider the recent $50 note…

You know the feeling when you notice a mitsake in your important document – after it’s been released? was last modified on May 23rd, 2019 by Proof Communications Author

How to avoid this simple mistake in your content writing

May 10, 2019

B2B documents, copywriting, Editing, How to win business, Proofreading tips, Uncategorised, Writing tips

Copywriting experts may instruct us to ‘write as you speak’, but there are times when it’s better not to. You’ll often hear people say phrases such as: My own house… Let’s connect them together… It’s a true fact… It possibly might… 2am in the morning… We first conceived of the idea… There are 5 different cafes near here … We received a free gift… Exciting new innovation… If you were to write these phrases, a good editor or a good…

How to avoid this simple mistake in your content writing was last modified on May 10th, 2019 by Proof Communications Author

What the f, f, f, f – why we can’t see what we’re reading

May 3, 2019

B2B documents, How to win business, Proofreading tips, Typos, Uncategorised, Writing tips

Give yourself five seconds to read the following line: Fifty florins for a flagon of fluff How many Fs did you count? Six? Seven? There are nine. It’s so easy to miss the obvious when you’re reading a document you’ve written or been involved in writing because your brain knows what’s coming next, so it jumps ahead. We all excel at jumping to conclusions and by drawing on our language experience, we make assumptions about which word is coming next.…

What the f, f, f, f – why we can’t see what we’re reading was last modified on May 3rd, 2019 by Proof Communications Author

Are you guilty of this simple mistake in your content writing?

April 16, 2019

copywriting, Editing, How to win business, Proofreading tips, Writing tips

Are you guilty of this simple mistake in your content writing? was last modified on April 16th, 2019 by Proof Communications Author