Listen and Learn

Have I talked about audio books yet?

You know how everyone tells you to read your writing out loud? You notice things when you're reading out loud that you never spot when you're looking at the words on the page. I totally believe in this. Then add that to the advice to read all the time. My current advice: Listen to audio books with the same perspective--i.e., as a writer--that you use when you read books. Listen for cadence, images, word choice.

With some books, I'm so anxious to find out what happens that I rush through the words. With an audio book, I can't rush. I have to pay attention to all the words; and as writers, we have to pay attention to all our words.