Why You Should Always Read Aloud

If I could give just one piece of writing advice it would be to read everything you write out loud. Not in your head; out loud.

And here’s why…

  • It allows your ears to hear your work, not just your brain, but your ears. They’re designed for hearing things, so use them.
  • You will be able to pick up on mistakes like repetition, awkward rhythm, clumsy syntax (word order).
  • You will notice spelling and grammar mistakes because reading aloud forces you to read slower than in your head.
  • You can sound out your character’s names, and make sure they sound right together.
  • You have to read every part properly, you can’t just skim read, allowing you to hear which parts aren’t working.

You needn’t invite an audience along, just read to your family, your cat or dog, or just your bedroom mirror. So stand up, take a deep breath and read it out!

357 Notes/ Hide

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  18. vieralynn reblogged this from heretherebdragons and added:
    Reading aloud is a must (even if slowly and silently in my head) but the other trick I use is to run my story through...
  19. svenharel reblogged this from moodymarshmallow
  20. psync reblogged this from heretherebdragons and added:
    When I’m not alone, and thus can’t read ALOUD aloud, I slow down my silent reading and pretend I hear someone awesome...
  21. chouninatte reblogged this from moodymarshmallow and added:
    I don’t do this as often as I should. To be fair, it’s kind of hard when it’s smut and there are people in the house.