Folks,
Some advice is hard to follow but easy to hand out.
I feel like “reading your work” is one of those pieces of advice you hand out to your kids before homework hand-in, but when it comes to the emails you send, well – who has the time for that?
I heard it again when I asked an editor friend of mine for advice, “Read your work.” I get it: it’s a great way to check if your sentence structures work and if what you have written makes sense – it’s good practice.
However, last week, I did read my work, this time with the help of a voice coach. What an experience! Reading your work out loud as if to an audience (real or imagined) brings a new level of analysis.
Read it flat by all means, but at some point it pays to find:
- Where is the subtext, and where should you place emphasis?
- What's the appropriate rate of speech - careful reading or passionate rant?
- What emotions come off the page into your voice?
- How about volume - are you loud, trailing off, or whispering?
I highly rate the experience. If you are curious, start here, and if you want the experience in person, try these folks.
Before I go, if you are a coach, parent, or teacher who is unsure about where discipline, structure, and rules fit into your day-to-day, I’d like to hear your thoughts on the piece I wrote yesterday.
Be good,
Simon
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