The value of reading aloud
Several weeks ago, my husband suggested that I write a column for our local internet newspaper, the North Texas e-News, about my mother’s waffle iron and breakfast with her. I did so, found proper photos, submitted it to the paper’s administration account, and forgot about it.
Then we had a granddaughter show up earlier than planned, with all the attendant joy and stress, and I really forgot about it.
Until it showed up on Mother’s Day morning in the paper. And as I admired my prose, I realized I’d left out a word, which, while it didn’t change the meaning of the piece one wit, made the sentence clunky. It took one out of the story.
I had forgotten my own piece of advice: read it aloud. To my credit, I’d followed one of them: write it, print it, let it sit. Then read it aloud and you’ll find all the mistakes.
Alas, it is what it is. Here’s the link to the article about my mother’s waffle iron, complete with photos and typo. See how quickly you can find it!