QUICK TIP: Are You Listening?

Are you listening to the words you write? If your computer has a voice recorder, or if you have another type of recorder, try reading your manuscript aloud into it. Reading aloud helps writers spot mistakes they missed through silent reading. By playing back their words and listening closely, writers hear their prose’s rhythm and pace, spot poorly written dialogue, wordiness, and other stylistic errors. Some versions of Microsoft Word have a Read Aloud feature which I find helpful. If your version has this feature, click onto it and let the computer read it back to you while you follow along with a hard copy of your manuscript. You’ll be surprised at the things you’ll spot that need fixing.