The process is time-consuming, but worth it. It means that I have to check each word. In a normal read-through, the eye elides past some things which the tongue will not. There are some of the obvious things I'm catching, like the use is "he" when it should be "she", or "an" instead of "and".
Other things, however, are more subtle, but they could still be stumbling blocks for a reader. In the section I just read, I see that I used the words "protectors" and "projectors" in the same sentence. In another part, I used the word "searing" twice on successive pages. An in still another part, I used the phrase "a lot" three times in two adjacent paragraphs.
The final polish is the difference between great and fantastic, so it's time well spent. I just have to avoid thinking about how, if I'd written a 40K novella instead of a 108K novel, I'd be done already!
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That's got to be a great approach to polish dialog. You can get the feel of when what someone's saying feels 'off'. Go, Tony! (now I feel guilty :))
ReplyDeleteNot just the dialogue, but all the little things that a reader might notice or might pull him/her out of the book.
DeleteDo you record it and play it back? sometimes i'll read things out loud and not catch what I said until i hear it while NOT saying it.
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm doing pretty well with just reading it. Ideally, I'd be reading TO someone, not just reading it aloud. Then the listener would help me catch things that need to be changed. However, I'm working in the context available to me.
DeleteGood luck with it, Tony. The out loud test is something I run my work through multiple times. It's best for catching awkward phrasing. It used to catch grammatical errors, but not anymore. I've read too much. My brain auto-fills.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I've read it aloud. Sounds pretty good, all things considered.
DeleteI read it aloud and then I have the kindle read it to me, which always brings a few more glaring errors to light.
ReplyDeletemood
Moody Writing
I've tried the Kindle read-to-me feature, but I can't get used to it. I need to be able to stop and highlight the words to be fixed, and if I have it in front of me, I might as well read it.
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