Editing Out Loud

            A long time ago, I came across a suggestion to edit my books by reading them aloud. I neglected to do this for a long time for two reasons: I tend to avoid doing things that make sound, if at all possible, and I figured that there was no point since I read in my head as if I were reading aloud (slow, I know, but I get far more enjoyment out of reading that way).

            Then, I had a great idea. I often read books to my wife anyway, so why not read one of my books? Since she already helps me edit, it kills two birds with one stone.

            It works wonders. Reading a book out loud helps smooth out wordings that look fine on the page. More than that, it roots out typos far better – on the page, the mind can subconsciously correct them, allowing those careless errors to slip past unnoticed, whereas speaking them aloud focuses the attention more.

            So, that’s my latest writing tip for you. Find someone to read to and edit out loud. You won’t regret it.

Click here to find the charity anthology containing a couple of my short stories.

If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.