Want to be a better writer? Read your copy aloud

When Don Murray arrived in the newsroom for his first day on the job as writing coach for The Boston Globe, he turned to his new boss and said: “I can tell you who your three best writers are.”

Then the Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of “Writing to Deadline” proceeded to do just that.

“How did you know?” the editor asked.

“Their lips move when they write,” Murray said.

Reading your copy aloud—hearing your words instead of just staring at them—is one of the techniques that separates master writers from the might-have-beens.

“The ear is the only true writer and the only true reader,” said poet Robert Frost.

Do your lips move when you write? Reading your copy aloud will make you a better writer. So perform a sound check on your copy.

Benefits of reading aloud

Listening to your copy will help you:

1. Reduce errors. Your eyes are such good editors, they can “fix” your copy as they view it. Your ears will catch what your eyes miss.