Nowadays, you can get almost anything read to you at the touch of a button. Word processors can read. Almost every book also has an audiobook. The old days of reading aloud to kids or reading with family are fading away into history. But even with the ease of AI readers and audiobooks, reading aloud – even if it’s just to yourself – still has many benefits, especially for writers. Let’s check them out!
1. Find errors in your writing
Reading your own writing aloud is a great way to catch any minor errors that may have slipped past your or your editor’s eyes. Even besides actual errors, when you read aloud, you get a better sense of how the text flows. A sentence that sounded great on paper at first might now seem awkward out loud – time to change it! Trust me, you’ll catch all kinds of stuff!
2. Build your confidence
I invite you to check out this reblogged post on public speaking. No matter who you are, you probably have some aspect of your life that involves talking in front of people and talking out loud to yourself is great practice. Surprisingly, reading out loud isn’t always intuitive. There’s a certain skill to pronunciation, the rise and fall of your tone, emotion in your voice, etc.
I don’t know about you, but as a huge reader, I know tons of words in my head, but when I go to pronounce them I suddenly realise, “Wait… I’ve never actually heard this word out loud before!”
3. Narrate your own audiobooks
Hiring narrators can get expensive for those of us who are self-published; why not learn how to narrate your book yourself? It will, once again, take practice, but when you start reading your writing aloud on a regular basis, you’ll get the hang of it soon enough. Watch videos, take classes, and learn how to do it well. You open up your stories to a whole new market when you create an audiobook!
Everyone should learn how to read aloud. The next time you’re stuck on a scene, in the mires of editing, or just want to try something different, give reading aloud a go and see what a difference it makes in your writing! But if you’re still not sure about your scene, shoot me an email and let’s talk.
Happy writing!
-E.J.
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When you write as much as I do, you have to take frequent breaks from sitting. A standing desk (not a whole desk, but a mini desk that will sit on top of my current desk with my laptop, keyboard, and mouse and extend upward) will allow me to continue working while maintaining that good blood flow to my brain. Thank you so much for your support that allows me to keep producing free content. God bless you! ♥️ E.J.
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E.J. Robison 
Have you ever considered reading aloud to write? I wrote my entire doctoral dissertation using Dragon voice recognition software, because at the time I was suffering from huge flare-ups in my repetitive strain injury. It works quite well, and the funny thing is, your writing becomes more natural that way. Plus, I think by reading out loud, eventually you become a more eloquent speaker. For me, as a non-native English speaker, it’s a helpful tool. Your post is a reminder that I should try to get back into that again :).
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Yes!! I have done this in the past, especially when I’ve been writing so much that my hands hurt, but unfortunately, I have an issue where my voice gets tired very quickly. I can’t continuously talk for long amounts of time, even when I take frequent breaks, so I have to be brief when I’m doing talk to text. It’s so sad because I love to do it! As you said, it’s a great way to find your writing voice and practise speaking. You should definitely try it again! 😁 Thanks for stopping by!
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