As I finish up my revisions, I’m focusing on word choice and phrasing, for the most part. And there’s no greater trick for that than reading the work out loud.
I print out the entire document, because I find it easier to see mistakes when I have paper and a pen in front of me. And then, making very sure that no one can hear me, I start reading out loud it from beginning to end. I even make up voices for the characters.
It takes several hours, and my throat is crazy dry and raspy by the time I’m through, but I catch all sorts of mistakes: weak phrasing, poor word choice, repetition. It’s especially helpful for dialogue, because I can evaluate whether someone would actually say those words. I can’t recommend this part of the revision process enough.
Does anyone else use this trick? What other clean-up final revision tricks do you have?
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I have heard of this trick, and I do read aloud my queries, but I must admit I rarely read anyone's MS, including mine, outloud.
ReplyDeleteProbably something I should change. It just takes SO MUCH LONGER! haha
I really think it's critical to read out loud. You can gauge the flow of the sentences and catch strange things so much easier. Takes a while, but it's worth it!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agreed: when you read aloud you have to actually look at the words, not just skim them, so it makes typos and long sentences jump out.
ReplyDeleteI DO use this trick for dialogue, but usually just when I'm not sure about passages. It's a GREAT idea, though! Here's wishing you all the best w/your new MS! <3
ReplyDeleteI use several methods and this is one I find most effective! Reading aloud brings all the problems out that you otherwise would have missed!
ReplyDeleteGOOD LUCK! I promise we'll have dinner soon!
It feels a little silly, but is very helpful. I need to do another read through of my manuscript before I finally get the guts to query it.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! One of my favorite parts of editing. But you're right, you gotta shut your bedroom door and make sure you have a waterbottle or something.
ReplyDeleteSarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)
Excellent, I know many who do this! I have never printed out an entire manuscript but I have read many scenes aloud!
ReplyDeleteI agree. Reading out loud is a must. But, I do have a question about how you print (I'm weird, I know). Do you print it out chunk by chunk? Kill your printer in one hit? Outsource it to Kinkos/Staples/Something? I've printed at Staples before personally.
ReplyDeleteI agree. After I make it perfect I have to print it out and then I see the manuscript a whole new way. I also like to read the story out loud because I find new mistakes this way and hear the story in a new way.
ReplyDeleteI know that my method turns out choppy and electronic, but I like to hear my work spoken by text reader software. (You can download free versions online.) I still end up reading outloud to myself, but the software is good for a first draft!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how differently words can sound aloud versus in your head. It's definitely a useful technique to perfect a story!
ReplyDelete