Proofreading

When we pick up a novel and start reading; it would be very disappointing to read grammar and spelling errors. In fact we would probably put the book down and not continue reading. The same is true if we are writing a blog or promoting our writings online. So what can we do? Proofread, proofread and proofread.
We may have a great plot and we took the time to develop our characters,but if the grammar is bad you've lost your readers and they won't get to see your amazing plot ideas. So how can we do it? If grammar and spelling is not our strong quality, then we may need to ask for help or pay someone to help us.
Things to Look For
First, it may be wise to check the spelling. Most word programs have built in spell-checks for us. If we are writing fast to get our thoughts down we may miss typing a certain letter. If we go back over our work and check for these errors we can fairly quickly make the needed corrections.
Second, take the time to re-read what you wrote. When we get in the groove of writing we may miss adding words. Sometimes it is as simple as missing conjunctives or prepositions; small words that don't matter that much but without them your sentence is definitely missing something.
Third, look for punctuation. Make sure there are quotes around spoken words. Proper commas, periods, question marks, and even exclamation marks. We do not want our sentences to look like they run on and on. Have a thought, finish it and then move on.
Editing
Now that the basics are done lets look into the meat of your writing. For readers to enjoy your story they will need to read proper grammar. Again, if you are not capable, it is vital to have someone to help you. If we read a sentence that says: "He play all the time." or "I took the ball from she." Our readers will feel frustrated and will stop reading. So if this is difficult for you to do, I can not stress this enough: Please Get Someone to Help You!
For our writing to flow we also need to make sure our sentence structure is clear and organized. We do not want to be writing about one point and then jump to another without it flowing properly. So proofread one paragraph and make sure it makes sense to you.
When proofreading look for simple mistakes. Homonyms: your or you're, they're, their or there. Contractions and apostrophes: its, it's. Commas: "Let's eat Stan." vs "Let's eat, Stan." Word endings: family/families.
Take your time with this. Read over your work slowly. Keep your concentration while you are reading so you do not miss anything. It can be helpful to read aloud, sometimes your ears pick up errors your eyes may miss. Have others read it for you. And then proof read again!
Hopefully you can now see the importance of proof reading and if you are proud of the story you wrote then take the time to proof read for errors. This will go a long way in your future to become an accomplished writer or great fiction.