Elevate your editing with this one trick

If you’re like me, you’ve probably had a dozen people tell you to read your manuscript out loud during editing.

Yes, that sounds like great advice, but who actually has the privacy and time to read their entire novel out loud? I never bothered to try until I’d finally heard that advice enough. A thousand times and the last one finally stuck.

And let me tell you, it’s a miracle. Well, miracle-ish. Here are my thoughts after making it 75 pages through my current manuscript.

Pros: Your ears pick up on things your eyes skim over. Reading your manuscript aloud lets you hear repetitive words and awkward phrases much easier than reading silently. It’s especially great if you have that frustrating feeling that your manuscript is just a little bit off. Reading out loud can draw out that nameless flaw.

Cons: It’s slow and requires privacy. I read very slowly out loud. It takes me about 1 hour to edit 10 pages. I also usually like to work on my manuscript in coffee shops or distilleries, but I definitely can’t read my manuscript out loud in public, so now I have to lock myself in my office to edit.

All-in-all, I’m very happy with how my manuscript is turning out. It sounds much cleaner and flows really well. I definitely recommend this technique for any writer.

For information, here are some articles on the topic:

• Los Angeles Editors and Writers Group: click here 
• ProWriting Aid: click here