Writing Tips & Site Help → Reading your material aloud
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I find it very beneficial to read my material aloud. I find things I would miss otherwise. Does anyone else do this? One benefit of being in a flesh-and-blood writers' group is being able to read aloud. What do y'all think?
Hi Janet
I have heard of this trick before. I've done it a few times although it feels utterly stupid to do that - I read it out loud to myself as I don't have a flesh-and-blood writer's group nor the time, hopefully one day! But I've still missed things.
With my initial posts on TNBW, I was trying to get it perfect. I soon realised that no matter how many times I've read a piece, nits still slipped through. I still try to minimise any mistakes a much as I can before I post to get value from the reviews on site, but have long since accepted that I would always miss a few mistakes, sometimes really silly ones.
What I now found that really works for me is to post a chapter and then review it before I publish it. That seems to work too as it has the "TNBW look" when I read and review other writers on site, so my mind automatically switches to reviewer mode and I do pick up nits I could have sworn weren't there! 
But yeah, even so, some buggers still slip through the net.
My goal is to get published, so the final draft I might very well lock myself somewhere private (and for those with kids, you know where that's going to be LOL) and read it to myself, but hopefully I'll find someone who I can read to, who knows?!
Janet R
I find reading the material aloud to be very helpful. It both helps me catch typos, and also gives me a good idea of the flow. I just need to do it more often 
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Janet, how old are your kids? My daughter and I have read everything aloud, taking turns so our voices don't go. She has been a huge unofficial editor. If you read the acknowledgements in Lucky Thirteen, you see what I mean.
After I've edited my manuscript to the nub, I read it aloud from the computer. It was weird at first but I got used to it and my dog loves it. Once I think it's perfect, I print it and and read it aloud again. When I've perfected it for the third time, then I have my husband read it to me. That is VERY helpful.
I do this all the time. It's the best way for me to proof read. I always catch things I wouldn't otherwise.
Candy--I like your idea. I need to put this dog to work. All he does is snooze on the daybed while I do all the writing! Janet, I tried two reading groups, but they didn't work out. I have been reading out loud, though. If it doesn't feel right to say it out loud, then it probably will make a reader uncomfortable. JP
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Writing Tips & Site Help → Reading your material aloud
