The Read Through

[L]

One of the most important tips I can give to new writers (and one I still do myself) is to give your work a read through before you submit it.

You can read it to yourself, or outloud to a friend or relative or captive victim.

Reading through a piece after you've written it helps you to catch errors in continuity, holes in logic, homophone mistakes that the spell and grammar checker didn't catch, and other such oopses.

Some writers prefer to let the piece sit for a day or two before doing the readthrough; I never have the patience for that. Either way, give it a read before you hit submit.

[scriptfox]

I totally agree with this, except I would say why limit it to once? I'll often read it through a couple of times, let it sit, then come back and read it through again before submission. Almost every piece I write will get read half a dozen times or so before it gets submitted.


Of course, the fact that I like to read my own writing probably has something to do with that, too...

[Rumiko Takeshi]

I prefer the sit-through...once I finish a piece of work, I usually become afraid of its crappiness and throw it into the dark side of my harddrive to kind of "cool down" so to speak. When I'm finally comfortable to get to editing it, I'll drag it out and read it through, fix things and usually edit out all of the violent parts, or at least tone them down. (I usually write what I want first--censor it later.) The uncensored version normally goes to ff.net, and then it's possible that a censored version goes to the NT. But usually, stuff of mine goes to ff.net and doesn't even touch the NT. Censoring is such a hassle. o.x

[Tdyans]

Reading aloud is definitely helpful. It can help you catch not only the more blatant mistakes, but also any awkward phrases. It'll hopefully help improve how your story sounds and flows. --Just adding my two cents to the good advice.

[Leb]

Exactly. It's obvious sometimes when writers for the NT don't proofread their work; to me it says "I didn't care enough to work hard on this, but I want to get a trophy."

[soggydude]

I could never get anyone to read a story of mine (I'm very private about my work for some reason) so I just do the old read and read and read and read until you go mad part. Except I don't have to worry about the going mad part

[Deleted]

soggydude said:

I could never get anyone to read a story of mine (I'm very private about my work for some reason) so I just do the old read and read and read and read until you go mad part. Except I don't have to worry about the going mad part

Same here...I get really embarrased whenever people are critiquing a piece of work of mine that I'm not sure of, like whenever somebody proofreads something for a project, etc. That's why I usually write for my own enjoyment, not somebody else's...

[Nikkio2003]

yesh! I'm the sort of writer who'll kinda.. read it through then either forgert about it or wish I didn't send it. Now I'm reading through more, though I tell you I'm not really experienced in sending Times things in.. maybe I sent one in, once? That was, what.. 3 years old.XD I NEVER let people read my work, because almost noone I KNOW knows about Neopets, and either that and/or I'll just kind of be embarrassed and not let them read it.. I don't even let people see my drawings! I cover them up and stick my tongue out at them or summit.. I'm immature, ino. Don't Remind me. *sigh* Anywhoo! Yah, I never have an idea in the first place, usually.. but they're still adolescent writings.

[sollunaestrella]

soggydude said:

I could never get anyone to read a story of mine (I'm very private about my work for some reason) so I just do the old read and read and read and read until you go mad part. Except I don't have to worry about the going mad part

^^Sounds like me ;D ^^
I almost never let anyone read anything I write. I keep telling them I will when it's finished, then I often never finish it (not because I don't want them to read it, but inspiration comes over me and I start something else and totally forget about the other thing or something like that) or, if I do finish, I don't let them read it anyway. I don't let people I know in person read my work, but I let all of you people out there read it.
I guess that's kind of weird.

[Deleted]

oh i always get my captive victims to read my work...it improves it and is a great form of torture.

[calvinseviltwin]

rishiy said:

oh i always get my captive victims to read my work...it improves it and is a great form of torture.

Nah, my stuff is torture in itself. People say I got talent. I wonder what they mean.

[Deleted]

calvinseviltwin said:

Nah, my stuff is torture in itself. People say I got talent. I wonder what they mean.

Yeah, my teacher called me gifted and said i should be gettings level 6's, and all the people in my class started bowing down to me going: Oh gifted one we bow down to your lterary prowess.

[sollunaestrella]

calvinseviltwin said:

Nah, my stuff is torture in itself. People say I got talent. I wonder what they mean.

My teachers say that I have talent. My family and friends don't know because I never let them read my stuff. All they think of my writing is that I'm the one that can sit for hours, captivated, eyes fixed unblinkingly at a rapidly filling white screen as the keyboard clinks unendingly. I don't think they like the fact that I write very much.

[calvinseviltwin]

sol_luna_estrella said:

My teachers say that I have talent. My family and friends don't know because I never let them read my stuff. All they think of my writing is that I'm the one that can sit for hours, captivated, eyes fixed unblinkingly at a rapidly filling white screen as the keyboard clinks unendingly. I don't think they like the fact that I write very much.

Ditto here!