Do you hear a voice in your head while writing? While you write your book, do you read it out loud to yourself?

The late, great author and writing coach Gary Provost in 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing says reading your written words out loud will make you a better writer:

This sentence has five words. Here are five more words.

Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety.

Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and

I create music. Music. The writing sings.

It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony.

I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length.

 And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with the energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals—sounds that say listen to this, it is important.

So write with a combination of short, medium and long sentences. Create a sound that pleases the reader’s ear. Don’t just write words. Write music.

Acclaimed Voice-Over Actor, Coach, and Film and TV Actor David H. Lawrence XVII of vo2gogo.com and ACXMasterClass.com says “creating characters that leap off the page is one thing, but creating characters that will also sound good will help tell a better story, and provide a better experience for the listener. That means more sales, since the actual writing itself will be better.”

Hearing voices in your head while you write is actually a good thing!

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Richard Rieman is an author and audiobook narrator at RRVoice.com