Read Your Writing Aloud- Prepare Before You Share

When we read our written words aloud and listen closely to them with focused intent,  we begin to appreciate their true impact on a reader's ears -someone more than likely reading those words for the very first  time. 

We learn about our writing with unparalleled efficiency simply by feeling the shape and sound of our words and sentences as they tumble from our mouth and are received by our ears.

If we are listening closely, we instantly discover what needs to be done in order to move our words onto the next stage of development.

For this reason, I have long been an advocate for encouraging student writers to develop the practice of reading their words aloud before approaching a fellow writer and asking them to read what has been written. 

This action of reading your words aloud before sharing is both informative (for the writer) and respectful (for the prospective reader).

I was taught this valuable action many years ago by the late Australian author, Morris Lurie. It was a writing strategy he practiced regularly. He said it enabled him to hear his words like a reader and discover those  parts  of his writing needing further attention. 

In the classroom, as a matter of routine, I encourage young writers to read their written words to the 'walls and windows' prior to share time. It's a form of insurance. I frequently remind them that if their words don't make sense to them, as the writer, how can they reasonably expect a reader to appreciate them. First impressions are important for writers too...

It is said we are the worst proofreaders of our own writing because of the emotional attachment we  have to the words created. Reading our written words aloud provides the best chance of exposing the lumps, bumps and unintended omissions and confusions we have created on the page. It provides an opportunity to correct and revise before requesting it be read by someone else. 

Encourage student writers to assume responsibility for their words by asking them to develop the respectful action of reading their writing aloud, prior to asking anyone to read it. It elevates the need to consider your reading audience.  It's a simple expectation that delivers better outcomes for both the writer and their readers.