Say the entire thing out loud. Doing this will help you catch awkwardly-worded and overly formal sentences.
So much this ^^! I used to run a crew that prepared written reports that went to attorneys and I couldn't not for the life of me impress upon them the importance of reading their notes aloud before turning it in. Then they'd turn in stuff they swore they reviewed and whole words would be missing.
I think when you read in your head there is a confirmation bias that prevents you seeing many errors. You know what you meant to write and when you read it quietly that's what you hear in your head. Reading aloud, you realize there's a word missing or you spelled something wrong far more easily.
Another invaluable post!
I forget what it's called, but I feel like this is something along the lines of how as long as the first and last letter of the word are correct, the entire middle can be jumbled up and we'd still understand the word. The brain plays crazy tricks on us if we don't use tools like these!
Thanks for the thoughtful comment @jrhughes! I keep meaning to ask... where have you picked up your delightful writing skills?
I never considered that connection but that makes a lot of sense.
It's truly my pleasure to read and comment on your work! As for my own writing, I can only credit years of near pathological immersion in books, and writing as an outlet since I was small. I've considered taking some courses to improve upon them - particularly my fiction could use some polishing - but with three kids, a husband, and a full time job I can barely find time to write let alone learn to write better, lol.
Right back at ya! :) Well all that seems to be working wonders! You are a great writer (and storyteller) as I mentioned. It's one thing to correctly implement grammar and sentence structure, but the storytelling aspect is a whole different enchilada! I don't think I've quite mastered that yet. Then again, I have a hard time making myself read, so that could be a contributing factor.
As for improving your writing, it's pretty damn good already if I do say so myself! :) Have you written any fiction on Steemit yet?