My old photographer mate Jay has noticed that I write in “spoken English”.
Stil, you write as you sound, or you sound as you write. Every paragraph has the voice of radio.
Yes, Jay, you’re right. And it’s deliberate. I write so that my words can be read aloud and “sound good”.
I don’t know whether there’s any evidence to back it up, but my theory is that when people read the speech centres of their brain are also active. If so, then I reckon the communication will be more effective, more memorable, if it triggers the natural rhythms of good speech.
When I’m writing, I’m usually sounding out the words in my head. When it comes to the final draft. I usually read it aloud — several times as I polish it.
And to make sure I get the “tone” right, I sometimes use a trick that Keith Conlon taught me. I imagine a specific person sitting across the desk from me. It all helps to write in a more natural style, as one human talking with another.
