Read Your Work Out Loud

I'm not going to lie; the editing process can seem daunting. You have spent weeks, months, years even diligently pouring your heart and soul into the creation of a great story and, screwing your courage to the sticking point, have engaged an editor to go through it. You're expecting the manuscript to come back with maybe a few corrections. But when you open the edited file, the screen is filled with red and blue and green lines and squiggles. And your heart sinks.

A bunch of unexpected emotions barrage you. You're stunned. You're angry. You're disappointed. You are overwhelmed by disbelief. "This can't be my book! Something is wrong! What has that damned editor done?"

Somewhere in the back of your mind, a little voice reminds you that your editor did warn you. "Don't be alarmed when you see the edits," she said.

And yet alarmed you are! Nonplussed. Disconcerted.

You start looking closely at the changes and realize that a) it is your manuscript; and b) it's not going to print tomorrow like you planned! You sigh. You close the file and pour yourself a strong drink. In your head, you compose a stern email to your editor asking her what the hell she did to your story. It's not fair! You worked so hard. There couldn't possibly have been that many mistakes. You are entrenched in denial.

You open the file again—just to be sure. But sure enough, it's still lit up like a Christmas tree with corrections and suggested changes. You decide that being a writer is not in the stars and prepare to go to your regular boring day job again.

This somewhat hyperbolic, tongue-in-cheek scenario is, of course, not meant to discourage or demean anyone. Writing is hard work! There is an emotional investment and it is appropriate to feel disheartened when an editor returns a manuscript with all those red, blue and green lines. But they are not criticisms.

It is beneficial to keep in mind that, while you may be the one paying the editor, the editor works for your future readers. You wrote the book to entertain, or inform, and your editor wants to help you make sure that happens. She has taken great pains to honour your voice and ensure that your intended meaning is preserved. Your job is to tell the story; her job is to help ensure your readers will have the great experience you intend for them.

No one in the publishing world expects writers to write perfectly--especially on the first draft. You did a wonderful and amazing thing! Let's work together to make it as perfect as we can.

There is a way you, the writer, can make the editing process go a little more smoothly.

READ YOUR WORK OUT LOUD!

Better yet, get someone else to read it out loud to you.

Reading aloud forces you to slow down and hear the words as they are written, rather than how your mind thinks they have been written. The missing plurals, the transposed letters, the repeated words . . . They all become more obvious when you read out loud.

The real magic happens, though, when you listen to someone else read to you. Every time the reader stumbles or pauses, you know that something isn't right. They will catch all the things you will miss if you try looking for mistakes by reading silently. Reading along silently with them will enable you to flag the mistakes. All you have to do is highlight them and go back later to correct them.

Rare is the writer who can tap out perfect prose on the first try. And it is unrealistic to think that a single draft is all that is required. A more realistic expectation is that you will work through three or four drafts before your manuscript is ready for proofreading. (I will talk about that in another blog.) Writing is a process. It takes time and dedication. I can only assure you, though, that reading our work out loud will help immensely.

Happy editing!