| One Saturday afternoon, I sat in a packed | | | | of me must have known that I would need |
| conference room with about 150 other would be | | | | something that could read to me someday. |
| writers, listening to a conference instructor tell us | | | | The morning after the conference, I printed a |
| the keys to self-editing our manuscripts. The | | | | hard copy of my manuscript, fired up the speech |
| number of people in the room spoke to how | | | | recognition software, and followed along as my |
| important it is to make sure your work is crisp, | | | | manuscript was read to me in the most |
| and as close to publishable as possible. Of course, | | | | unemotional way imaginable. Think a Speak And |
| the numbers also told me how many of us don't | | | | Spell(TM) that knows all the dirty words. |
| feel completely sure of our editing abilities. | | | | The software could not interpret what it thought |
| The advice the instructor gave was nothing new, | | | | I meant to say. It just spoke every word as |
| eliminate adverbs, redundancies, and | | | | written. |
| clichés. Use active verbs, vivid metaphors | | | | If I forgot a comma, or some other needed |
| and strong verbs. Then she dropped the one that | | | | punctuation, the computer kept reading at the |
| I stumble on every time, "read your manuscript | | | | same pace without pause. That helped me |
| out loud." | | | | discover one long paragraph that turned out to be |
| I have some mental block that prevents me from | | | | one long run-on sentence. |
| actually trying this editing method. Maybe it has | | | | The software program also read the words |
| something to do with the fact that my husband | | | | exactly as typed - typos and all. Did my hero |
| already thinks I'm insane. If he hears me talking to | | | | whip or wipe the tears from the heroine's eyes? |
| myself in my office, he would have me | | | | Typos like this can be funny when you run across |
| committed. Then again, maybe it's my childhood | | | | them, but they make your manuscript look less |
| fear of public speaking, even if the audience only | | | | than polished. |
| consists of two cats and a dog. Whatever the | | | | When you've read your manuscript to yourself, |
| reasons are I cannot bring myself to read aloud - | | | | have you ever inserted words that weren't really |
| especially not my own words (shudder). | | | | on the page? You know you have, and you would |
| However, I have found an alternative to the | | | | insert missing words when reading your story |
| embarrassment of hearing myself speak. Years | | | | aloud too, but the computer won't. |
| ago, I invested in a speech recognition software | | | | I did a quick internet search and found the |
| (you talk - it types), which didn't work very well in | | | | particular speech recognition software I have for |
| my opinion. Even after hours of trying to "train" | | | | less than thirty dollars. Not a huge investment for |
| the software, it still didn't understand what I was | | | | a product that can help take some of the |
| saying. Despite its uselessness to me at the time, | | | | drudgery out of editing a manuscript, and make |
| I kept the software on my computer, taking up | | | | your final draft so polished your story will shine. |
| precious hard drive space. Subconsciously a part | | | | |