WEBVTT - Second Cup: Write for the ear

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to write for the ear. If you assume

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<v Speaker 1>that whatever you write will be read out loud, and

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<v Speaker 1>you structure your writing to make that possible, your writing

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<v Speaker 1>will be more compelling and clear. This week, I'm sharing

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<v Speaker 1>several of my favorite writing tips. Whether you write for

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<v Speaker 1>a living or not, you may have to write reports

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<v Speaker 1>or emails or articles for industry publications. Certain tactics can

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<v Speaker 1>make all writing better. When I write these podcast scripts,

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<v Speaker 1>I am obviously writing them to be read out loud.

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<v Speaker 1>That is the whole point of a podcast script. But

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<v Speaker 1>even writing that isn't designed to be recorded benefits from

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<v Speaker 1>approaching it as if it would be. That's because of

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<v Speaker 1>how people actually process written language. Many years ago, an

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<v Speaker 1>editor told me almost in passing, that when people read

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<v Speaker 1>things silently, they are actually saying them in their heads.

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<v Speaker 1>As a result, writing that sounds better to the ear

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<v Speaker 1>reads better even if you never actually hear it. When

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<v Speaker 1>I write these scripts, I practice reading them out loud.

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<v Speaker 1>When I do, I immediately see things that need to

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<v Speaker 1>be edited. Sometimes sentences are too long, they need to

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<v Speaker 1>be broken up so I can get through them without

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<v Speaker 1>gasping for breath. Sometimes sentences are all the same length,

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<v Speaker 1>too many long sentences, or for that matter, too many

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<v Speaker 1>short sentences in a row boring. Finally, certain words and

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<v Speaker 1>sentence structures sound stronger than others. It turns out that

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<v Speaker 1>ending a sentence on a solid one syllable word generally

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<v Speaker 1>feels more satisfying than ending it on a long one.

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<v Speaker 1>So rather than writing being clear and compelling, you want

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<v Speaker 1>it to be compelling and clear. Some of this becomes

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<v Speaker 1>habit over time. If you want an example of what

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<v Speaker 1>good spoken language sounds like, try listening to a really

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<v Speaker 1>good preacher. These people often have it down because they're

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<v Speaker 1>talking to crowds many times a week. But even in

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<v Speaker 1>the absence of that, if you simply commit to reading

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<v Speaker 1>your own writing out loud before you publish it or

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<v Speaker 1>hit send, you will likely spot problems. You will see

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<v Speaker 1>that some words sound better than others, you will see

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<v Speaker 1>where you are gasping for breath, and you'll break things

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<v Speaker 1>up that will help readers be able to make it

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<v Speaker 1>through your writing too. Now, I know that most of

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<v Speaker 1>us don't do this with casual writings such as emails.

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<v Speaker 1>But imagine if we did reading email would feel more pleasurable,

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<v Speaker 1>and thus we'd be able to get our points across

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<v Speaker 1>and maybe we'd send fewer emails. That wouldn't be a

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<v Speaker 1>bad thing at all. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

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<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

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<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the number four then

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<v Speaker 1>Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me an email at

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>should I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen

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<v Speaker 1>to your favorite shows.