My #1 tip:
Can’t afford a proofreader? Read your script so many times you don’t see the mistakes anymore?
It happens to the best of us. (Yes, even me!)
✍️ Final Draft users –
Use the ‘Speech Control’ option in the ‘Tools’ menu.
Don’t bother assigning voices, just pick one you like, along with your preferred speed of speech.
The voices are robotic. However, listening to your script as you read it will help you spot words and spellings that may sound right but read wrong, i.e. their when you meant they’re.
You still may not catch 100% of your mistakes, but you’ll catch a lot more using this function!
✍️ Do you write using a program other than Final Draft that has an option like Speech Control?
✍️ Have any burning questions about proofreading and copyediting scripts?
Let me know in the comments!
Thats great to hear Rebecca James. Thanks for commenting!
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I write & rewrite scripts many many times - over & over. I use the FD Speech Control (I don't like the robot voices). Once I think it absolutely perfect in every way, I let the Line Editor from hell (my wife) go over it. I never thought that I could make that many mistakes!
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Great advice. Thank you.
Brilliant! Love all the ways (and all the helpful spouses) that help make your scripts shine!
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I’ll have to try out that “speech control” feature. Sounds interesting.
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Grammarly is a great tool to correct spelling mistakes :)
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Grammarly is great for spelling but not common errors: your/you're; waist/waste; brake/break; their/there/they're; discretely/discreetly. These will also sound correct in Speech Control. There's usage too; lay/lie, its/it's, for example. The final step is another set of eyes on the script.
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One thing that helps is to save it into another visual format - like a PDF, and then use a higher magnification when you read it. A lot of unseen errors pop out to me when I do this.
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I typically avoid printing my scripts to save paper. But I do export them to PDF and use a program called “PDF Expert” on my iPad to mark it up with my Apple Pencil as if it were on paper. The red “ink” really helps me spot mistakes.
That's why I recommend reading while you listen E Langley - often your eye and ear will catch something only one sense misses. It doesn't guarantee you'll catch it, but it can help. Totally agree about Grammarly. I'm not a huge fan of theirs, but if it helps, Frederik, keep using it!
That's great to know Shadow. Thanks for sharing that tip!
Great tip Carlton. Glad that works for you! Thanks for sharing!
I get it and a great suggestion, Angela. Thank you. But if you don't know usage it doesn't matter. Errors will sound and look right but still be incorrect. It's a different skillset.