# Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of reading slowly to enhance the editing process, a technique often overlooked.

# Abstract

The article draws a parallel between the author's experience with a driving test and the act of writing, highlighting the significance of pacing in comprehension. The author admits to developing a habit of speed-reading due to academic pressures, which led to a superficial understanding of the text and ineffective editing. The article suggests that by reading out loud at a slower pace, writers can better identify mistakes and fully process the content, resulting in more efficient and effective editing. The author advocates for embracing the natural pauses in text, such as periods and commas, to improve one's editing skills and ultimately produce higher-quality writing.

# Opinions

- The author believes that reading too quickly, a common habit due to societal pressures for efficiency, hinders our ability to edit effectively.
- Reading out loud is praised as a valuable editing technique, but its effectiveness is contingent upon the reader's ability to slow down and listen to the text.
- The author suggests that slow reading leads to a deeper understanding of the material and fewer iterations of editing, saving time in the long run.
- Emphasizing the importance of punctuation, the author opines that honoring natural pauses in text is crucial for capturing the intended meaning and rhythm of the writing.
- The author implies that the modern trend of skimming and seeking quick information has detracted from our ability to engage deeply with written material.

One simple thing that helps your editing that most people forget.

Spoiler: Read slower

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

I got ready for my driving test.

I drove my car on the parking lot amid stop signs, yellow lines, and orange cones. The instructor told me to get out of the car so he could explain the driving course to me.

It sounded like he had jelly in his mouth and for a second, I thought he was speaking in tongues. Maybe it’s because it was pouring rain and I had no umbrella.

“Alright, did you get that?” He said.

“No, can you go over it again please? And this time, a little slower ?”

You’re probably wondering what a dumb driving test has to do with writing. Well, let me explain.

I read too fast.

Doing all of those required academic readings during high school made me a hardcore skimmer. Huck Finn is probably turning in his fictional grave right now.

It wasn’t like this all the time you know. I had to take my time reading books and making the appropriate pauses in the text or I’d sit in my chair trying to connect the dots, constellations, and molecules of whatever I just read. Thank God SparkNotes saved me time.

We live in an era where everything has to be given to us in a nice little candy wrapper rather than a whole frozen dinner box.

Oftentimes, this is our biggest downfall as readers, and as writers.

Just think about it, how the hell are you going to edit your writing if you can’t even pause at a period?

What’s the point of reading out loud if you can’t read slower?

Reading out loud is probably one of the best editing tricks on the planet.

You get to hear yourself talk which helps make any writing mistakes more visible. But if you read out loud like a skimmer, well then, you’re back to square one and you might as well just publish the article as it is.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve edited articles like I read another Huck Finn book and they turned out just as terrible as the first draft. For me, I can’t fully process anything unless it’s said slower.

It’s like practicing a dance routine and you rehearse the steps by counting slower so you can get every little detail down to a T.

Reading out loud is amazing for your editing, but if you’re reading your article to get done rather than reading it to process and correct, the dreaded first draft will always prevail.

Don’t ignore those pauses.

When we read slower, we’re more cognizant of periods, commas, commentary dashes — the whole nine.

We’re more likely to take those pauses and give our brains a second to process what we read. Low and behold, when I started reading slower, I began to understand what happened in each chapter right after reading it.

I began to do better on my reading tests for Huck Finn, Grapes of Wrath, and a lot of other “classic” books I never cared to read. I obtained the marvelous superpower of not having to read a paragraph twice.

Which also means, less time spent editing. And more effective editing at that.

So calm down and don’t zoom through the pauses in your writing. It’s not going to grow legs and go anywhere.

Final Thought

I always knew how important reading out loud was for editing. But I’m starting to realize more and more that reading slower is a bigger part of the equation.

We’ve all skimmed reading before. It’s so easy to do so you can get boring-ass books over with. But in a way, this has killed our ability to fully process writing.

The power of the period/pause is going away.

Honestly, everything you need to know just boils down to a few words.

Take your time and read. That’s the key to better editing.