hmmm afterward or thereafter?

[Lysis]

I need a little opinion or grammar ruling. I feel kinda dumb asking, but I figure it's better to look dumb than risk a rejection over one word. This sentence:

If you clean the pages first, the malware may re-infect them shortly afterward.

Is using "afterward" bad grammar? What about thereafter? Am I being over-critical? This is my 3rd article I'm proofing today, so I think I might be getting myself too worked up over grammar, but I wanted to make sure.

[Debbi]

I think your sentence would pass muster. Thereafter sounds a little stuffy and too inevitable to me.

How's this sentence?

"If you clean the pages before removing the malware, you run the risk of rapid re-infection." I said "rapid re-infection" because I'm a sucker for alliteration, not necessarily because I thought that was the ultimate word choice. "run, risk, rapid, re-infection" I'm on a hot streak!

Anyway, when I get stuck on a question like that, I usually end up re-writing the sentence to avoid it. Most of the time the sentence comes out better than the first time.

Debbi

[Lysis]

Thank you! I think I will change it. I think I was looking for one of those "yeah, it's great!" answers since I have proofed this article about 3 times now and I'm sick of looking at it! LOL There is that excitement after you finish an article and you want to show off your work and upload it right away. The proofing process is such a draaaaag.

[Debbi]

I agree. I always think my first draft has sprung forth fully-formed and perfect just like Athena from her father Zeus' head. But it's more like cracking open an oyster and fishing around for that pearl. It tkaes time and patience, and though I have nothing BUT time, I am not so good on the patience.

Debbi