Shout It Out

Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of reading writing aloud to improve its quality by catching errors and enhancing flow and rhythm.

Abstract

The author shares their personal experience with the writing process, initially struggling with errors despite extensive revisions. They discovered the critical step of reading work aloud during a poetry workshop, which significantly improved their writing by highlighting typos, grammatical mistakes, and issues with word flow. The article cites additional benefits such as catching repetitive words, improving stiff writing, and refining large paragraphs. The author now insists that reading aloud is essential for producing the best possible work and considers it a non-negotiable final step in their writing process.

Opinions

The author believes that reading work aloud is a crucial part of the revision process that was initially overlooked.
They express a personal intolerance for grammatical errors in their own work, despite being more forgiving of others.
The author found that reading poetry aloud revealed issues that silent reading did not.
They advocate for the practice of reading aloud as it provides a clearer understanding of the reader's experience.
The article suggests that the discomfort of reading work aloud is outweighed by the improvements it brings to the writing.
The author quotes Anne Tyler, who also emphasizes the importance of reading dialogue aloud to ensure its authenticity.
The author implies that neglecting to read work aloud is a disservice to both the writer and the writing.

The importance of reading aloud

As a beginner, I’d spend a lot of time revising my pieces until I felt confident I’d done my best. Without fail, I’d have multiple errors marked all over my pages when I’d get my work back in class or workshop.

I’m sure my dislike of red ink stems from the multiple classes and workshops I’ve taken over the years. Still, grammatical mistakes annoy me. I’m lenient with other people, but I have no patience for myself regarding such errors.

It took me a few years to realize I was leaving out a critical step in the revisions process. I wasn’t reading my work aloud, and I was paying a heavy price for the oversight.

The idea of reading my words aloud never occurred to me until I took a poetry workshop. Whenever we’d present work to the class, we’d have to read our work out loud. Doing so made it clear when typos were present or if specific word patterns didn’t flow together.

Reciting my written words changed my writing for the better. I became more aware of rhythm, grammatical and spelling mistakes, and my focus on the material improved.

According to Inc., added benefits of reading aloud include catching repetitive words, identifying stiff writing, eliminating clunky construction, and honing in on large paragraphs.

Once I realized how much better my writing was when I took the time to read it out loud, I made sure not to skip this step again. Any bit of work that others would read would first get a spoken pass by me.

I wanted to have a clear idea of what my reader would be experiencing. I needed to make sure I was eliminating any elements that took away from my work.

To this day, I don’t consider a piece finished until I’ve heard it myself. This final step has been a lifesaver.

There were times when I’ve felt apprehensive about reading my writing out loud. This hesitation tended to happen when I wasn’t in the mood or working at a cafe. I overcame this fear by considering the consequences of forgoing this step.

After laboring over my words for an extended time, the last thing I want is to submit or publish less than my best efforts. I remind myself that my objective is to give audiences the best reading experience possible.

This slight mindset shift gets me to do what’s necessary to ensure a positive outcome.

“Reading any piece of writing aloud is an acid test, particularly when it comes to dialogue. There were writers I’d always admired who suddenly rang false when I spoke their words in our living room.” — Anne Tyler.

If you feel like your work is falling flat of where you want it to be, no matter how many revisions you do, you may be forgetting a crucial step to the process. By not hearing your words before you submit your writing, you’re doing yourself and the work a disservice.

I suggest you make the change right away. It may feel weird initially, but the more you do it, the easier it will become. However, the benefits in your writing will more than make up for any discomfort you may feel in the process.

By far, this is the best writing advice never shared during my writing journey. Read your work aloud.