Best proofreading or editing spots? When the name of something has changed. Consistency is the key.

🔎 Want to know my all-time favourite type of proofreading spot?

When I catch that the name of something has changed.

🍦 Like the same ice cream parlour with two different names in two different chapters.

🏘 Or the same street with two different names in two different chapters.

📄 I catch these inconsistencies by creating style sheets for my clients where I take extensive notes on characters, locations, the timeline – all sorts of different things that matter in terms of consistency.

👁 You don’t want someone’s eye colour to suddenly change.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 You don’t want siblings to suddenly be remembered, or forgotten.

👨‍🎓 You don’t want their alma mater to fluctuate.

📚 So, when I catch something like this, I’m always really pleased to flag it, and authors are always relieved that it can be corrected before it goes to print.