Writers--Read Your Drafts Aloud

Once again, I am going to urge you to read your work aloud as part of your proofreading/editing process. You will hear errors that your eyes might slide right over as you read silently.

Only yesterday, one of the women in my writing group critiqued a new essay I'd subbed. She pointed out the number of 'was' and 'had' words I had used. I tell you all the time to get rid of as many passives as you can. Then I did what I preach not to. In my defense, this was a first draft. so I'll claim that as my excuse. 

If you use Word to write your stories, essays and such, look at the top bar, go to the far right side. You will see Find with what looks like a magnifying glass next to it. Cllick on the Find, and a box will pop up on the left side of your document. Type in any word that you want to check in the box given. That word will then be highlighted throughout your document. It can be quite a shock to see the number of times you used a particular word. Try it with the passive verbs like 'was, were, is, are' to see if you're overloaded. Also, if your document is about a particular thing, perhaps 'government,' check to see the number of times you used that word. Then try to use different words for some of them. I didn't take time to read this one out loud, and if I had, I'd have had the problem corrected before subbing to my group.

If you read your work aloud, you'll discover some sentences that are way too long. Ones where you had to stop and take a breath before finishing. Have several of those, and you're in trouble. Overly long sentences are easy to fix. They can almost always be easily separated into two, or even three, sentences. You won't lose the meaning, just the extreme length.

Read with your voice, and you could discover words that your readers might stumble over, even though they are reading silently. 

You might also find spots that don't make much sense to you. It's far better that you discover them in the editing process so you can revise or rework those areas. 

One writer said she thought she'd feel silly reading her own work out loud in an empty room. Why? You're there alone, and the practice is to help you create a better piece of writing. I wouldn't advise standing in the kitchen while dinner prep is going on and reading your story over the conversation of others. Do it on your own. Close the door to the room you're in if necessary.

It is especially important to read poetry you've written out loud. You'll quickly see places where the rhythm is a bit off, or a word doesn't fit. Or a rhyme doesn't work very well. 

So, silly or not, try this the next time you finish the first draft and again when you have done all the revisions you felt were needed. 

Q &A With Kathleen Pooler, Memoir Author

A few weeks ago, I was a Guest Blogger for Kathy Pooler whose memoir is pictured. Read more about it here. I asked Kathy if she'd consider doing an interview for my blog. Gracious lady that she is, she agreed without hesitation. The interview will run over two days. Part 1 is below. Not only memoir writers will find this of interest. All writers can gain some knowledge and insight from this writer's answers to my questions. 

Interview with Kathy Pooler, Memoir Writer

Nancy:  Did you have any writing background before you started to write your memoir?

Kathy:  The only background I have is a lifelong desire to write. My career was in nursing. I think my passion for writing started when I was around nine- years-old and wrote plays to perform in front of my maternal grandmother and all her Italian lady friends. They chattered in response and though I didn’t   understand a word, their enthusiasm motivated me to keep doing it. Soon after, I received a pink journal with a lock and key and I have been journaling ever since.  In 1999, I took a Writer’s Digest course, Getting Started in Writing which jumpstarted my writing career. When I decided to write a memoir, I took online courses in the art and craft of memoir writing from 2009 to 2012 through The National Association of Memoir Writers with Linda Joy Myers.

Nancy:   What made you decide to write the book?

Kathy:  We all have challenges and struggles in our lives that help to shape us into the adults we become. After surviving two divorces from emotionally abusive men, one of whom was an alcoholic, cancer and a son with addiction, I looked around at the life of peace and joy I was living and decided I must tell my story to give others in similar circumstances hope for themselves. No matter how far down into the abyss you may go, there’s always hope for a better life.

Nancy:  How long did it take from start to finish?

Kathy:  Memoir writing is a marathon, not a sprint. It has been a slow unfolding of past memories with new discoveries along the way. As I mentioned above, I journaled through all my challenges from the time I was in high school. Many of these journal entries became the seeds for my memoir.  I started writing in earnest in 2009 and published my first memoir, Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away From Emotional Abuse in July of 2014. 

Nancy:  Did you have a professional editor, or do it yourself?

IKathy:   feel strongly that professional editing is essential in producing a marketable book. I need an objective, professional review and would never rely on myself to edit.

When I complete my first draft, I put out a call to fellow writers and friends to be beta readers. This gives me feedback from a reader’s perspective. After incorporating the beta readers’ suggestions and when I feel my manuscript is ready, I send it to a professional editor for the evaluation of the content, story structure, narrative arc and writing. I will then hire a copyeditor to check for grammar and punctuation and a proofreader for the final review.

Nancy:  How many publishers did you submit to before being accepted at Open Books Press?

Kathy:  I was lucky. The small publisher reached out to me after seeing a comment I had made on a popular writer’s blog, Writer’s Unboxed. I had an established platform through my weekly blog and he requested I submit my manuscript to him. Before that, I had explored other publishing options, including traditional and self-publishing and already decided to aim for a small publisher.

Nancy:  What have you done to promote your book?

Kathy:  I think the most important thing is to take the time you need to write a good book and I hope I’ve done that. I participated in online and onsite book tours, book signings at local venues, such as libraries, counseling centers, senior centers. In one case, a coworker’s mother who worked at a local counseling center read my book and recommended to her director that I come to speak at a staff meeting which I did. This meeting was broad cast to two other counseling sites. As a result of the newspaper article about the meeting, a reporter from the newspaper requested to come to my house to interview me for a full page Sunday feature story.  Other opportunities came my way, such as requests to speak at a local nursing association’s dinner meeting and an invitation to be  keynote speaker at an annual fundraising event for the local domestic violence shelter.

Please Come back tomorrow for Part 2 of the interview

A Writer's Christmas Wish List

It's Christmas Eve day and Santa is double checking his list for all the good boys and girls and a bunch of us grown-up kids, too. If you've been bad this year, there's no more time to make up for it. What it is today is what it is!

Here's my Christmas Wish List for all my writer friends. I wouldn't mind some of these items for myself, as well. A few are definitely dream items while others are very possible.

1. Inspiration to write every day

2. A publisher knocking on the door begging to buy your book manuscript.

3. Editors so happy with your work that they write to ask you to submit

4. Being able to write a good first draft

5. Story ideas on a regular basis

6. The ability to overcome the rejections that arrive

7. New markets for your writing

8. A new mentor

9. Paying publications rather than non-paying

10. A better vocabulary to draw from

11. Perfect punctuation

12. Marvelous mechanical skills of writing

Maybe you can add a few more to your Writers Christmas Wish List. May you get at least a few of them.