Typos--Killers of Moments

I've said it before and I'll say it again:
REVISION IS IMPORTANT!

Recently, I was reading an amazing book. I was flipping the pages so fast I've gotta wear a wrist brace for the next few months. After only fifteen consecutive hours of reading, I was at the end of the climax scene. A massive fire burned. Smoke and ash churned into the sky. The MC stood there, basking in the orange glow, his tattered clothes blowing in the breeze.

But, suddenly, a typo flew out of left field and ripped me out of the moment.

I hate it when that happens. I don't know about you guys, but typos ruin moments for me. Especially if it's supposed to be dramatic.

I found numerous typos in the book I was reading before the epic one I was just talking about. And that book wasn't nearly as good, so the typos only made it harder to finish. Every time I found a misspelled word, I wanted to put the book down and walk away forever, certain I'd be content never knowing the fate of that particular protagonist.

Typos are bad for business. They jolt the reader out of the story.

Imagine it with me: Your book is published. You've got a copy of it in your hands right now. It's amazing. But when you open it and glance it over, you spot a typo!

OH NO! Spirit has officially been crushed!

You've got to go over your manuscript with a fine-toothed comb and look for every typo. EVERY typo.

My suggestion?

Read your work out loud to yourself. This method usually works for me. I can read a sentence five times in my head, but I'll miss the typo (no matter how obvious it is) until I read it out loud. This is also a good place to use your friends/family for help. They're no good when it comes to honest critiques, but they're great for keeping an eye out for rogue typos.

Remember: Revision is serious business.

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!