I do read my work out loud. But only to myself. π It actually helps me spot sticky places where the flow is interrupted by an extraneous word, or even a typo. I catch a lot of there, they're, their errors when I'm reading out loud. And places where I've doubled a a word by mistake. π
I like my writing voice better than my speaking voice. I tend to hide behind humor armor in real life conversations. You'll definitely find that snarkiness in my writing, too, but the sweet stuff comes out more easily for me on the page.
My favorite fiction to write (and read) is a good mix heart, hurt and humor.
And rhythm is important. The rhythm of a sentence. Of a scene. The back and forth of dialogue. I think that comes from my music and theater background. If I need a character to take a dramatic pause before they say the last line of a chapter... I'm going to give you the right number of syllables of action to achieve that "space".
βItβs as if the whole shenanigan of literature is a dialogue between two people β reader and writer β thatβs designed to be carried out entirely within our heads, a space that gives a higher-order significance to everything passing through it.β
Beautiful insight, and puts in high detail why a writer needs to always consider and honor that alchemical head-space that writing takes place in.
Worry can wreck it! Also, In college, for a paper i wrote in an intro to media class, my professor found it hilarious and read my words back to me, but his pauses made undeniable jokes in my sentences i had not intended! How to live with that? Does it happen often? I suspect it often happens in reverse, someone writes something sarcastic and itβs received as sincere and profound! Also, Seeing words typed helps me generate the next words, usually alliterative with inner rhyme. Also, In the editing, i often trim the alliteration and inner rhyme, hoping to create a more authentic voice. Also, im still grateful for that other professor my senior year who warned me that there was a difference between writing and speaking and i should learn it if i wanted to pass his class! Also, working abroad, i learned to write in english that when run through a translator will be most likely to convey the meaning i intended. Also, dont limit yourself to your speaking voice. Consider writing like a performance, where it might be fun to take on a role with an accent, or stylistic quirk, perhaps a lot of run-ons, or alsos? For fun! Also, for beauty. Also, for truth!
Your writing style and voice, being true-to-speech, writing the way you talk- is what immediately hooked me about your writing. Reading your posts is the mental version of sinking into a comfy, oversized chair across the room from one another for a conversation that lasts as long as it may.Β
That leads to the brain breaker you mentioned. If we all LITERALLY sat in a room together in our big comfy chairs and started talking, the cadence/vibe/pace/etc. would be totally different for all of us than it is here in this space. The energy moves and crosses differently with physical proximity and verbal communication. You dropped that bomb (regarding literature)- β...a space that gives a higher-order significance to everything passing through itβ Damn so good. It's that forethought! It gives us the chance to say what we mean and mean what we say.Β
I have also never βreadβ an audiobook. Iβve always been so adamant that itβs not as deep of an experience. But so many of my friends love them and retain the experience they have with it. It makes me wonder if they are tapping into different, transcendent elements of the book, of which Iβm less aware because Iβm in my warm, happy headspace. I dunno, it still feels like a different energy or wavelength being imposed upon me. But like you said- maybe not better or worse, just different.Β
So naturally, I do voiceovers of my writing- haha! Weird, Jeannie. It does help keep me honest. Itβs helping me slowly dissolve the facade that my ego throws up to protect the real insides. I figure the voiceover is an option, not a requirement, for experiencing the text.Β Thank you for writing this Matt. It really got me thinking.
So much fascinating stuff in this edition. The part that really resonated with me is that people expect us to be as good with the spoken word as we are with the written word. Those are totally different talents!
Iβll tell you, this FEELS like youβre talking--it feels spoken, discursive. But I think I might have appreciated it in half the words. Would it be the same piece? I donβt know. Iβm not trying to be critical, just to respond to your questions about finding the right balance. Itβs a great question.
I do write for the ear. And I always read my work out loud. Like Meg says in this thread, it helps me with the flow and to catch typos, etc.
My background is in theater and I love to read in public. I like my speaking voice and try to keep it that way as a writing voice. I don't go with the Hemingway rules, at least not always. Sometimes it's fine, but I have more than one voice. My head's a little tweaky like that.
Rhythm is very important to me as well. Again, Meg and I have some things in common.
Yeah, i'm like a cult survivor type of writer so I just write like in my normal voice with varied degrees or out-rage, logical nerd and self-analytical confused rant.
Oh and the quote βItβs as if the whole shenanigan of literature is a dialogue between two people β reader and writer β thatβs designed to be carried out entirely within our heads, a space that gives a higher-order significance to everything passing through it.β π₯π₯
I also write like I talk. Then I have to reread and edit the punctuation to make sure the reader is hearing what I'm saying since they can't hear the inflection in my brain as I write. [Whew, long sentence!]
P.S. Like Grandma, I look forward to your Friday musings. Keep up the good work!
Another excellent investigation. As usual. Lots of good food for thought. I really like your recognition and description of that space that writer and reader share. And then the question about the audible experience and what is lost. As you know, or at least as I've mentioned before I consume a lot of audio books as a result of my long commute. The experience like you say is necessarily different than book in hand reading. Is it better? Is it worse? Is it both better and worse depending on the particulars? I can tell you different things happen. I become very critical of the voice, whether it stays true to the characters and whether it knows how to get out of the way and let the writing come through. I can tell you that it's absolutely possible to have an emotional response to the writing. I just finished listening to The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah and I was choking back tears over too many days as I toiled along with the characters through horrendous dust bowl nightmares. Would it possibly have been even more impactful had I read it? Possibly. I generally take in genre style books, mysteries and such for the audio trips. Afterall I want to be distracted and entertained. If there were a book , something I anticipate might be something profound, a book whose language promises to offer something rare, I will want to hold that book in my hands and enter that space you so beautifully describe. Nicely done.
yes the conservative wave of 2022 from the normies awash in MK Ultra was pathetic. Many know and prefer to be US citizens and just ride along with the 4th Reich. The General Public is overwhelmed by the CIA brainwashing technique named MK Ultra from Allen Dulles et al. 1950s.The current Deep State, swamp creatures; corrupt de facto is made from Paper Clip importation of WWII Nazi educated engineers and scientists. Their kids are boomers and their grandkids and GGkids are influential members of Soros et al. Judiciary of BAR, DA, DOJ. Start counting the players in the FBI and DOJ that seem to line up with Social Democrats. With German last names, Kazarian Mafia? And all the daughters are married to whom in the 4th Reich
I also think I write like I talk. But I donβt like talking nearly as much as I like writing. οΏΌ I donβt trust the words I use when I talk at all like I can trust the words when I write. οΏΌInteresting discussion...
I do read my work out loud. But only to myself. π It actually helps me spot sticky places where the flow is interrupted by an extraneous word, or even a typo. I catch a lot of there, they're, their errors when I'm reading out loud. And places where I've doubled a a word by mistake. π
I like my writing voice better than my speaking voice. I tend to hide behind humor armor in real life conversations. You'll definitely find that snarkiness in my writing, too, but the sweet stuff comes out more easily for me on the page.
My favorite fiction to write (and read) is a good mix heart, hurt and humor.
And rhythm is important. The rhythm of a sentence. Of a scene. The back and forth of dialogue. I think that comes from my music and theater background. If I need a character to take a dramatic pause before they say the last line of a chapter... I'm going to give you the right number of syllables of action to achieve that "space".
Then I'll resolve the chord for ya.
Promise. π
βItβs as if the whole shenanigan of literature is a dialogue between two people β reader and writer β thatβs designed to be carried out entirely within our heads, a space that gives a higher-order significance to everything passing through it.β
Beautiful insight, and puts in high detail why a writer needs to always consider and honor that alchemical head-space that writing takes place in.
Loved this!
Worry can wreck it! Also, In college, for a paper i wrote in an intro to media class, my professor found it hilarious and read my words back to me, but his pauses made undeniable jokes in my sentences i had not intended! How to live with that? Does it happen often? I suspect it often happens in reverse, someone writes something sarcastic and itβs received as sincere and profound! Also, Seeing words typed helps me generate the next words, usually alliterative with inner rhyme. Also, In the editing, i often trim the alliteration and inner rhyme, hoping to create a more authentic voice. Also, im still grateful for that other professor my senior year who warned me that there was a difference between writing and speaking and i should learn it if i wanted to pass his class! Also, working abroad, i learned to write in english that when run through a translator will be most likely to convey the meaning i intended. Also, dont limit yourself to your speaking voice. Consider writing like a performance, where it might be fun to take on a role with an accent, or stylistic quirk, perhaps a lot of run-ons, or alsos? For fun! Also, for beauty. Also, for truth!
Your writing style and voice, being true-to-speech, writing the way you talk- is what immediately hooked me about your writing. Reading your posts is the mental version of sinking into a comfy, oversized chair across the room from one another for a conversation that lasts as long as it may.Β
That leads to the brain breaker you mentioned. If we all LITERALLY sat in a room together in our big comfy chairs and started talking, the cadence/vibe/pace/etc. would be totally different for all of us than it is here in this space. The energy moves and crosses differently with physical proximity and verbal communication. You dropped that bomb (regarding literature)- β...a space that gives a higher-order significance to everything passing through itβ Damn so good. It's that forethought! It gives us the chance to say what we mean and mean what we say.Β
I have also never βreadβ an audiobook. Iβve always been so adamant that itβs not as deep of an experience. But so many of my friends love them and retain the experience they have with it. It makes me wonder if they are tapping into different, transcendent elements of the book, of which Iβm less aware because Iβm in my warm, happy headspace. I dunno, it still feels like a different energy or wavelength being imposed upon me. But like you said- maybe not better or worse, just different.Β
So naturally, I do voiceovers of my writing- haha! Weird, Jeannie. It does help keep me honest. Itβs helping me slowly dissolve the facade that my ego throws up to protect the real insides. I figure the voiceover is an option, not a requirement, for experiencing the text.Β Thank you for writing this Matt. It really got me thinking.
So much fascinating stuff in this edition. The part that really resonated with me is that people expect us to be as good with the spoken word as we are with the written word. Those are totally different talents!
Iβll tell you, this FEELS like youβre talking--it feels spoken, discursive. But I think I might have appreciated it in half the words. Would it be the same piece? I donβt know. Iβm not trying to be critical, just to respond to your questions about finding the right balance. Itβs a great question.
Appreciatively,
Tom
I do write for the ear. And I always read my work out loud. Like Meg says in this thread, it helps me with the flow and to catch typos, etc.
My background is in theater and I love to read in public. I like my speaking voice and try to keep it that way as a writing voice. I don't go with the Hemingway rules, at least not always. Sometimes it's fine, but I have more than one voice. My head's a little tweaky like that.
Rhythm is very important to me as well. Again, Meg and I have some things in common.
Yeah, i'm like a cult survivor type of writer so I just write like in my normal voice with varied degrees or out-rage, logical nerd and self-analytical confused rant.
Oh and the quote βItβs as if the whole shenanigan of literature is a dialogue between two people β reader and writer β thatβs designed to be carried out entirely within our heads, a space that gives a higher-order significance to everything passing through it.β π₯π₯
I also write like I talk. Then I have to reread and edit the punctuation to make sure the reader is hearing what I'm saying since they can't hear the inflection in my brain as I write. [Whew, long sentence!]
P.S. Like Grandma, I look forward to your Friday musings. Keep up the good work!
Another excellent investigation. As usual. Lots of good food for thought. I really like your recognition and description of that space that writer and reader share. And then the question about the audible experience and what is lost. As you know, or at least as I've mentioned before I consume a lot of audio books as a result of my long commute. The experience like you say is necessarily different than book in hand reading. Is it better? Is it worse? Is it both better and worse depending on the particulars? I can tell you different things happen. I become very critical of the voice, whether it stays true to the characters and whether it knows how to get out of the way and let the writing come through. I can tell you that it's absolutely possible to have an emotional response to the writing. I just finished listening to The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah and I was choking back tears over too many days as I toiled along with the characters through horrendous dust bowl nightmares. Would it possibly have been even more impactful had I read it? Possibly. I generally take in genre style books, mysteries and such for the audio trips. Afterall I want to be distracted and entertained. If there were a book , something I anticipate might be something profound, a book whose language promises to offer something rare, I will want to hold that book in my hands and enter that space you so beautifully describe. Nicely done.
Matt, this one is a gem π
A Portland weatherman ? No he's Zaffino.
yes the conservative wave of 2022 from the normies awash in MK Ultra was pathetic. Many know and prefer to be US citizens and just ride along with the 4th Reich. The General Public is overwhelmed by the CIA brainwashing technique named MK Ultra from Allen Dulles et al. 1950s.The current Deep State, swamp creatures; corrupt de facto is made from Paper Clip importation of WWII Nazi educated engineers and scientists. Their kids are boomers and their grandkids and GGkids are influential members of Soros et al. Judiciary of BAR, DA, DOJ. Start counting the players in the FBI and DOJ that seem to line up with Social Democrats. With German last names, Kazarian Mafia? And all the daughters are married to whom in the 4th Reich
I also think I write like I talk. But I donβt like talking nearly as much as I like writing. οΏΌ I donβt trust the words I use when I talk at all like I can trust the words when I write. οΏΌInteresting discussion...
A simple style is a treasure. Me? I've been accused of being "Ciceronian."
Great post, Matt! Plenty of food for even more thought!