1.  Get back to the basics.  Set your manuscript aside for at least three days.  Then reread it once for content and again for spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

2.  Be agreeable.  Be sure the subject of your sentence agrees with the verb.  Both should be singular or both should be plural. Watch out for words hidden in prepositional phrases.  You can easily be fooled into thinking they are the subject and end up with a verb that does not agree with the subject.  (Each [singular] of the girls has [to match each] a ticket.)

3.  Search for commas once removed.  Using a comma before and at the last of a series is neither right nor wrong.  Just choose which style you prefer and use it throughout your manuscript.  I prefer the comma for clarity.  When you find a dependent clause beginning with such words as because, if, when, while, and since, (note the comma!) separate it from the rest of the sentence with a comma.

4.  Don't commit a capital offense.  Capitalize a word only when it refers to a specific place, person, or thing.  Write Old Main Church, but beside the church; Harris County, but the county records; or Mayor Ferguson, but the mayor.

5.  Get in a rut.  Keep your style consistent.  Choose one form for dates, subheads, state references, abbreviations, and other elements and stick with it.

6.  Double-check spell check.  Computer programs that check for spelling errors compare each word in your file with the computer dictionary and point out any words not in the dictionary.  They do not tell if a word is correctly used.  Spell check your work, but then reread it to see what spell check missed.

7.  Get help.  Use a dictionary and a style manual.  If grammar and details aren't in your genes, hire a professional editor. Don't let your careful research get lost in poorly edited copy.