Reasons why you should do it!
Kiera Terrell
One of the standard things our Writer to Writer tutors ask writers to do during appointments is to read their writing out loud. But reading out loud is a strategy that can be used when you’re working alone as well! Many people may be reluctant to do so, and we can’t say we blame you:
- The people around you might think you’re crazy
- People might give you weird looks in the library
- It might feel weird at first—to be talking to yourself
- You think it is silly and takes too much extra time
- You don’t like the sound of your voice
Admittedly, it is pretty awkward to read aloud at first. But, the pros of reading your writing aloud totally outweigh the cons. The results are usually magical, and here are some reasons why we think you should do it more often:
- It helps you catch errors that you may not catch if you were only writing and skimming silently in your head.
- So you were typing your paper really fast the night before a deadline, and you typed: “the main character very specific views about politics”. But then you read it aloud, and find that you meant to say, “the main character has very specific views about politics.” Two very different sentences, but reading aloud helped you catch the error before submitting your paper.
- You may even read what you meant to write, and realize that what you said does not match what is written.
- Perhaps when you read aloud you actually say the missing ‘has’. You clearly intended to put it in, but forgot for some reason.
- It breaks the silence by helping re-focus your attention on completing the task at hand. Staring at the same page for too long can be draining and monotonous, and you may lose sight of what you are trying to say or what the assignment is asking you to do. By reading it aloud, you are able to refocus your attention on your writing.
- Everyone can relate to feeling like they have been staring at the same sentence for hours, seemingly getting nowhere. By taking time to read aloud, you are helping yourself out of your own slump, and refocusing your mind to the task at hand.
- You can catch your own errors. Reading aloud also functions as an auditory and verbal way to check for grammar and spelling mistakes. By reading out loud, you can hear if a sentence runs on too long, or if something does not sound right.
- If you read a sentence and think “that felt a little weird”, mark it and return back to it. Chances are if you feel that something is off, it is worth a second look.
- Writer to Writer tutors use this strategy during appointments frequently, because it is so helpful. We find that when a writer reads their own writing aloud, it allows us to be more objective and able to pay attention to the writing. It allows us to make our time together more efficient.
- It is also more practical, because it allows the tutor to be fully focused on your writing. Your tutor will be thankful if you read aloud-and you will be more satisfied with the results in the long run!
- All the cool kids are doing it. And it works!
- This is a common practice in our appointments, and Writer to Writer has seen some great things come out of reading out loud–even when it does feel a little awkward at first.