This week's #WednesdayWritingTips are all about reading your work aloud and discovering what it shows you.

1) Sentence length
If you find yourself having to take a breath or running out of breath when you read a sentence out loud, perhaps it's a little bit long, a bit like this one.
You can get 'sentence fatigue' when you read, too. Keep an eye on the length.
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2) Th/sw/sp/ck/etc.
Pay attention to the words you have used. Alliteration is great, but some sounds repeated close together can be tricky to say out loud. Read them out. Do you stumble?
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3) Rhyming picture books
If you're writing in rhyme, it's important that the reader can say words quickly and easily if they are meant to take up one beat of the rhythm. For example, I try to avoid 'gasped' - it's a nightmare to say and can slow you down.
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4) Rhyming picture books - 2
Reading your work out loud can also reeeeeally help with testing your scansion. Be honest, though. Are you gabbling? to cram extra syllables into the rhythm? Are you making words sounding longer to fit the beat? Or is it regular?
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5) Balance sentences
Reading your prose out loud can help you get a feel of the balance of your sentence
Reading your prose out loud helps you balance a sentence
Reading aloud can help you balance a sentence
To balance a sentence, read your work out loud.
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6) Character voice
Reading your work out loud also helps strengthen character voice. Read out a section of dialogue between two or three of your characters. How easy is it to switch voices? Does each voice sound different enough? Record yourself if you dare!
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Hope you find that helpful. Happy reading (out loud)!