This issue comes from my very own DeLoran - as I am on maternity leave I collected some of the core lessons I have learned over the beginning of 2025.

After roughly 12 months in the making, the date for the release of my third book is fast approaching (and yes, you can pre-order it here). My first book taught me that the book writing process is not necessarily what we idealise it to be. The second book opened my eyes on a few things, including the importance of a well written proposal.

This third book, it really opened my eyes on the process of effective proofreading. I genuinely thought my proofreading skills were quite decent, if not damn good.

Just as a frame of reference, I used to work as an editor and a journalist for 7 years, so I proofread a lot of work. However, I realised that it’s much easier to proofread other people’s writing than my own.

That could be down to the fact that, as writers, we are exposed to our pieces a lot more. We instinctively know what we are trying to say, we miss some mistakes or overlook some details.

As my new book is getting published with, well, a traditional publisher (wanted to use the word legit but there is nothing non-legit about self-publishing), I started working with a copy editor to finish off my manuscript.

With her help, I realised a few things about proof-reading my own work, including the fact that I was probably doing it all wrong for a very long time. Here are some of the lessons I learned along the way.

I have started to implement a system for my writing schedule based on my habits. In the past few months, I came to terms with the fact that I am not the writer who’s ever going to write every day. I just came to accept that, no matter how many Stephen King quotes I read.

However, I love spending 2/3 hours in the morning, every weekend, just writing and editing. I taking that time for myself as a way to channel my creativity into one specific thing. It also allows me to stagger my proofreading.

Based on a 2-week cycle, this is how an ideal timeline looks like for individual articles (you can apply this also to chapters, breaking it down in sections):

As I go along in the cycle for each piece, I tag it so that I know which stage of the proofreading journey it’s at. This will change for very timely topics (especially related to social media), but overall this is the flow I created for myself.

It allows me to look at each piece at least three times.

A lot of magic can come from your first draft, and overthinking it may kill the magic. This tip actually comes from Kelly Notaras, an amazing author I interviewed for my old business.

She has 20+ years of editing experience, so I’ll recommend listening up. As she put it during our conversation, constantly refining your draft is clear sign of procrastination.

In a way, you are interrupting your flow, and somewhat tweaking the full essence of your piece (or book) before it’s even ready.

As a perfectionist, I know I have been guilty of this in an attempt to be efficient with and cut down on editing .

Since I started with my new system outlined at the beginning of the piece, I found myself not rushing through my first draft anymore, which is a very spacious feeling.

If you are struggling with a serious case of perfectionism, I’d recommend looking into free writing as a way to get back in touch with your creativity as a writer.

The magic of proofreading is in what I call “cutting the fluff”. I have been praised by writing in a very unique tone, that feels almost conversational. My favourite review from book number one was “it’s like having Fab coaching you right by your side”.

Still, it’s a double-edged sword. Conversional style lends itself to a lot of added sentences, brackets and overall paragraphs that you do not really need.

Since I know I have the tendency to go off tangents during my drafts, I allow myself enough time to cast a more critical eye over my pieces after I have let them simmer.

I look for repetitions, both in words and concepts. Examples that can be aborted, and any bloated paragraph that I can cut. I usually tend to streamline during my first read of the piece.

Depending on how prolific of a writer you are, you may not be able to have friends / partners / VAs look into everything, but it can be worthwhile having someone read over some of the pieces you write.

For most, you may need a quick glance from an editor or friend. As I pitch quite a few pieces to mainstream publications, I’m looking into having my team reading over selected articles.

When I get extra feedback, I can definitely see the difference in the quality of the final piece.

How to create a great feedback system:

Even if you do not do it for every single piece, being able to have someone asking question on your writing can teach you about patterns you may be looking to eradicate. I’d recommend have at least a few pieces looked at each week to improve your skills.

I have been writing for over 20 years now, and I know I’ll be constantly adapt and learn how to fit this practice in my daily life.

I also know that every experience I have as a writer and author is teaching me more about how I want my word to come across on the page. Overall, the writing process can be messy, and we may feel compelled to rush it or make it perfect.

Spending more time with each piece through the process of proofreading has definitely taught me a lot about how I want my overall experience to be like. And for that, I am forever grateful.

Here’s a little sneak peek of my final proofing.

We did not know the name of our little girl until we saw her (our shortlist kept shifting and changing). We kept calling her Little Bean.

As I started proofing my book, I realised that I still had her as “our little girl”.

Which meant, as part of my edits I added her name to the acknowledgements - and that hit me right in the feels.

And just in case you need a reminder, my third book is called "Customer-Driven Marketing Handbook," and it's now ready for pre-order!

I packed it with strategies and frameworks to help you create marketing that really connects with your audience, and yes, I used all the proofreading techniques I just shared with you to make it shine.

I spent over a year writing and polishing this book, and I'm so excited to finally get it into your hands at the end of this wild year that is 2025.

Always cheering you on,

Fab ✌️