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Reading Your Manuscript Out Loud
 Posted by Kim Law Feb 20 2012, 12:01 am In preparing for today’s blog (and while working through edits lately), I decided to pull out a post I did a while ago on reading your manuscript out loud. Time often gets short for edits, and reading out loud is not a fast experience, but one I continue to highly encourage. It’s potentially a matter between having a good/great manuscript, and having a terrifically polished one. We also recently had a discussion on the Ruby loop about reading manuscripts out loud and software that will do it for you. I’m hoping several Rubies will jump in with their advice on what software is worth using in case you’d rather go that route than listen to your own voice. *****THIS IS A REPRINTED POST FROM 2009***** Read my manuscript out loud? Are you insane? What in the world for?!?!?!?!? That’s what I thought the first time I heard the suggestion. No way. I don’t like the sound of my own voice. I WOULD FEEL STUPID!!! And those were my answers. But in completing my third manuscript—the one that WON the Golden Heart this last year—I was so certain it was close to being a winning manuscript, that I wasn’t about to let anything slip by undone. So after I had edited it in its entirety at least six times, and was certain I had all the typos and “wordy” parts fixed, I closed myself up in my bedroom, stretched out across my bed and began to read out loud. (Please note…the husband wasn’t even allowed in the house during this as I was still certain I would sound stupid.) Upon beginning, I really didn’t expect to change much of anything. I mean, I had gone through the sucker so many times I could practically recite it word for word! And let me also mention, I didn’t start this until some time after noon that day, figuring that would be plenty of time. Wrong on both accounts. If you’ve never read your work out loud, try it. You’ll surprise yourself. I had read a scene or chapter or two in a mumbling fashion, but with this, I read it out loud, making sure to look and read every single word, and also read it loud enough to be heard by someone other than myself (if they had been allowed in the house.) What I learned was it’s very hard to hear the cadence of the story as accurately when read silently in your mind. Very hard. It was just tiny little things, but things that, when changed, show the difference between fairly-well edited and seriously polished. And agents and editors notice seriously polished! That was what I got from my experience. I would be reading along and suddenly hit a tiny bump. Usually it was just something slightly off, like an extra syllable in one sentence, or too many sentences near each other that “sounded” the same. But I knew it when I heard it. And it couldn’t always be fixed with a one word change. I didn’t read incredibly slow during this process, but as I mulled over how to change the bumps I’d hit, I would easily spend thirty minutes to an hour reworking a single sentence and going back over it—out loud—to make sure it fit just right. It was a LONG process, and I have to admit that I did finally let the husband come home, because I was up until three-thirty the following morning finishing it! I still didn’t let him come into the room, however, where I was reading, and I think I might have made him go upstairs, just to lower the risk of him hearing me. But what I took away from that experience was very vital. In the grand scheme of things, I didn’t change the total word count that much. It was a 58,000 word manuscript, and I ended up shortening it by only about four hundred words. But this was a manuscript I was CERTAIN would not be changed during this final reading. By removing those additional four hundred words, and spending well over twelve hours reading it out loud, I grew to understand even more, what it means to polish a manuscript. Every little tiny word has to be looked at over and over and over again to get it just right (at least for me.) And in the end, I was very proud of that manuscript, not only with the effort I’d put into it, but with the finished product. ********** I’ve since gone on to sell that manuscript I was talking about above, and it will be released sometime this Fall. One of the things my editor commented on when she bought me was how polished my writing is. Who knows if that actually helped me sell or not, but it certainly didnt hurt! So tell me…have you ever tried reading your stuff out loud? Had software read it for you? If so, what did you think? If not, are you willing to give it a try? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Share:
              
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I used to read aloud into a tape recorder–thus catching any typos or “off” punctuation–then listen to it later for flow, cadance, etc. Yes, I caught some of the flow bit in the original read, but sitting back and listening often revealed a word that wasn’t quite right or a structure that sounded awkward when just listening as opposed to when reading and listening.
Time is my enemy these days, and I’ve invested in a program to read to me. I love Text Aloud on numerous levels. It also falls short on others.
Love it because it notices punctuation, I purchased a voice that is clear, concise, and rarely sounds mechanical, and overall, it does what I need it to do.
That said, words like bow, which, in my story, can mean either bend or be an archers tool, is always read as bend. No one is ever content, it’s always having to do with content, etc. That can be utterly annoying. Also, some longer words are said phonetically (can you say de str uc tion? Yes, it sounds like she leaves spaces) and it doesn’t like unusual contractions like m’lady (it reads EM lady) or a dropped H like in ‘is (it reads single quote e r.) which can be either funny or seriously aggravating.
Overall, I’m glad I have it, but like any computer generated voice program, it has a few quirks. Depending on the day, they can be a real pain in the tush.
That’s kind of funny Gwynlyn! I can see how it could be aggravating, but the first few times, it has to be a little funny
Thanks for sharing the software you use. I think I’m going to try one this next time and see how that works for me. I’m hoping it’ll keep me moving a little faster and not take so long to get through the whole manuscript.
This was a post well worth repeating, Kim. Thanks for the reminder. I always find more mistakes in my work when I read it aloud.
Thanks Laurie!
I have, but not the entire thing. Bits and pieces. Definitely need to steal a day and read the whole book.
Or better yet, I’m hiring Alan Rickman or Richard Armitage to read it to me. That sounds like a tax write off I could live with.
Thanks for sharing your process, Kim!
Nice writeoff!
Hope you can steal a day for one of them and see what it does for you!! Sometimes when I try just reading bits and pieces, I find so many things I end up reading more and more.
LOL on having Alan Rickman read!
I don’t think I’d be able to keep my mind on my story, though….
Maybe if I had him read recipes to me, I’d have more fun cooking dinner, though! (Looooove that man’s voice!)
Truly, Madly, Deeply.
**sigh**
Love Alan Rickman.
LOL! Love your idea!!!
Great post, Kim. On my last manuscript, I downloaded the free version of Natural Reader and loaded my text into it. I was able to plug my headphones into the computer (so no one else could hear) and listened to the book all the way through to the end. I was amazed that even with the stiltedness of the computer-generated voice, I was able to pick up awkward phrasings and missed punctuation. I’m a believer now!
So here’s a question for you. When you have software read it to you, how long does it take? I’m assuming you make notes as you go and don’t really stop and redo sections like I did while reading it? So if that’s true, how long does it take for the reading part?
Kim, I kept a copy of the manuscript open on my computer and whenever I hit a trouble spot, I’d pause the read-aloud program, make the needed corrections and then continue on. This particular program lets you select a speed, so I started off on normal, but by the time I finished, I’d increased the speed to 4X. I liked it. The only weird thing I noticed is that sometimes it would “read” the ellipses (only seemed to happen when they fell in the middle of a sentence).
Hmmm…interesting. Thanks. I’m looking forward to trying one of these with my WIP.
What sound does an ellipses make?
dot, dot, dot…at least according to that particular reader! And my scene breaks were always: asterisk, asterisk, asterisk. Funny at first, but annoying after a while, especially since I’m the queen of the ellipse. My editor is forever weeding them out.
LOL!!!
Use my Kindle. Yeah, a little mechanical, some of the pronunciations are funny, but I can still catch mistakes…and I can take it with me, like when I’m going for a walk. If I note a mistake and don’t have paper, I can stop it and bookmark it.
I’ve wondered if using the Kindle would work. I might give that I try, at least with a small amount, and see how I like it. Thanks!
each way has pros and cons. if you are at the computer and folling along you can make instant corrections. using the kindle gives you mobility but you need to bookmark. then go back to the ms for corrections.
Invaluable advice, Kim.
I read every draft out loud if there is time, and try to read the final out loud at least once. I find it invaluable for not only catching the little mistakes, but also, especially valuable for getting the cadence of dialog right, and thereby deepening characterization.
I don’t use any programs or aids, although I can see a benefit from hearing the reading while going for walks etc., but since I write historicals, I like to try and do the accents, and differentiate the characters. And I think it’s just plain fun!
Thanks again for this great tip. Cheers.
Great point, Elizabeth, about it deepening characterization. Hadn’t really thought about this, but yeah, exactly!
Thanks!
Hi Kim, I agree 100% with you! Every morning before I start hammering out new words, I take the time to read aloud the previous days work. It makes a world of difference. I am able to find “left out words” in my hasty style of writing in addition to finding the “right” pace and tempo. Even when I finish the first draft and start editing I read it out loud again. Then again on the second and third edits. It’s always nice to hear you are doing things the right way. Thank you for the inspiration and the wonderful post. Three cheers for Kim!
I think that’s an excellent habit you’ve got of starting the day off by reading out loud what you wrote the day before. I’ve done that occasionally, but never made the habit of it. Great job!
Ooh…I like the idea of reading just the previous day’s work out loud!
I so seldom have blocks of time to work on my manuscripts, anything I can do piecemeal is valuable. Thanks!
This step is so important. It took me a while to get through my head that it really does need to be done and I think has made a difference in my writing.
Thanks for the reminder, Kim.
It’s hard to convince yourself to spend the time to do this sometimes, isn’t it? I think a big difference between best-sellers and some other authors is the amount of time and detail put into things that sometimes seem like time wasters. Of course…you have to be careful not to do things that simply turn into time wasters, but that’s another blog post.
LOL, Kim! Please do!
What a great post, Kim. I keep swearing I”m going to do this. I have another friend who swears by it. Maybe with this next book, I’ll give it a shot. It sounds like it is more than worth the effort and time.
Clearly you’ve figured out some secrets that might make this not even required for you
Not to mention your crazy deadlines…
I’m one of the people who can struggle for the correct wording of a sentence. I repeat it out loud and when I’m stuck I go to the software. Having it read to me can frequently be a BIG help.
I really like Gillian’s solution. I’m looking for Dick Hill’s number.
Ah, so you only use the software when you’re really stuck or struggling on one part? Cool. Love seeing how other people work.
Great post, Kim!
I think it’s great advice, though I still haven’t quite managed to actually do it. (That demon Time…)
A teacher I share my classroom with is ALWAYS telling her students to read their work aloud. Most of them ignore the advice, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve overheard a student tell her, “You know, last night I finally did what you said and read my paper aloud, and I saw SOOO many problems with it, and now it’s much, much stronger.”
So, yeah…I should listen.
Actually, what I do is “read aloud silently in my head.”
I tell *my* students to do this with the literary passages they have to analysis during exams. There’s a huge difference between just letting your eyes skim over the passage and taking the time to “hear” the words *as if* you’re reading them aloud.
For me, this works well when looking over my manuscript, though I’m sure actually using my larynx would help even more.
I have always done this. And don’t tell but sometimes I use different voices. I think it’s why I enjoy audio books. I know many people/authors do not. If the book is very detailed like a Tom Clancy, it would take me forever to read it.
Elisa, I often read aloud silently too, but was still shocked at how much I found additional when I read aloud…aloud.
I love that there’s a teacher there telling them to do the same thing. That’s terrific!
Kim,
I read my WIP aloud. Actually, I mutter my way through it but it does help to hear it. A bit like acting it out, I think. Hearing it helps me to visualize it well.
Thanks for the post. Glad to know I’m not the only one out here talking to herself.
Congratulations on the sale, too! Kelley
Thanks for the congrats Kelley!
And LOL…you’re definitely not the only one out here talking to herself!!
Ha! Timely post. I’m late today because I’m frantically working on revisions and I’m down to the final read through. A number of years ago I invested in text to voice software in order to make this final read through an aural experience.
I use Natural Soft (http://www.naturalreaders.com/index.htm), which has a free version of the software with a very mechanical sounding voice. I invested in the product upgrade and I can’t imagine turning in a manuscript that I haven’t had read aloud to me in this fashion. One of the things I like about the software is that it highlights every word as it reads, so you can follow along with the voice. Also, it’s pretty strict on punctuation, so it will pause wherever you put in a comma. This is enormously helpful because I tend to put in way too many commas. Reading aloud this way also shows up awkward phrasing, words that you use too many times, and common typos. My editor has told me that I turn in some of the cleanest manuscripts she sees and I’m sure it’s because I do this.
It’s enormously time consuming. It takes about four days to read a manuscript this way. Because you’re constantly making changes as you go and then having the voice re-read it to you. And there is a limit to how many hours you can listen to a voice that is not entirely human. But I find this to be an essential tool in doing the final polishing of a manuscript after it’s been seriously revised.
Love this feedback. Thanks, Hope! I’m pretty sure I’m going to try this same software when I get this one finished. Might try bits and pieces with the Kindle, but for the final pass, I think I’ll spend the money on this. Sounds terrific.
Wow. I went to that site, Hope, and plugged in a bit of my work to the sample section, selected the UK English woman’s voice, and hit play.
I am SOLD! That was amazing…thank you so much for sharing this.
Okay, now I have to try it!
I went to this site to test out Natural Readers because of the things that annoy me about Text Aloud. Guess what? Heather’s voice is the same on both programs (and the one I use), and the both say dot dot and asterix, asterix, and EM Lady. Guess they’re all pretty muc at the same level of ability right now.
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