Author Insights: What do you think is the most useful self-editing technique?

L. J. Bonham: All of the suggestions in Ken Rand’s “The 10% Solution” are great and important. If I had to pick just one, it is to read your work out loud.

AI: Read it aloud?

LJB: Yes, absolutely. Humans began telling stories verbally long before written language appeared. It’s embedded in what Jung would call the “Racial Subconscious.” Words that look good on paper have a different impact when read aloud. Punctuation errors, word order and choice are all glaring when spoken. Every time I read my work I find little things that need correction or that can be done better, smoother.

AI: That sounds like a lot of work. When should authors read their writing?

LJB: You have to look at it as just one more necessary step to produce a good product. It’s part of the job. Reading aloud is the last step after the manuscript has been scrubbed for spelling, grammar, and passive words, etc.

AI: How many times should you read aloud?

LJB: As many as it takes. That’s not a facetious statement. Read your work until it sounds good, tight, and on message. Then, if you want a real wakeup call, have someone read it to you. That’s the acid test.