Following on from yesterday's post on how I cut 45,000 words without losing my story, I've realised there's one more trick for getting your word-count down. For us introverts, it's not such a fun one, but I find it really helps.
Read your prose out loud. When you do this, you'll find yourself catching clunky sentences, stumbling over redundant phrases, and running out of breath on marathon paragraphs.
The test is ruthless. It exposes:
- Sentences that twist your tongue
- Words that repeat unnecessarily
- Ideas that take three sentences when one would do
- Grammatical errors that the eye refuses to see
When you hear a clumsy sentence, it's usually obvious how to fix it, as your left-brain flies into action.
This matters even more if you're writing for children. Picture a parent reading your words aloud at bedtime, after a long day. Every awkward phrase becomes a problem.
The best writing sounds natural when spoken. It has rhythm. It breathes. And it reads easier, too.
Try it tonight — grab something you've written and read it aloud. And don't just mumble it, really go for it, as if you're recording the audiobook or presenting it to an audience.