I usually love audiobooks. It’s a way for me to read without having to actually, you know, sit down and read. I get through books while driving, working out, walking, doing the dishes…you get the idea. Audiobooks are also my hack for getting through books I would never usually read. Anna Karenina was 32 hours long, but you know what’s easier than sitting and reading for 32 hours? Getting stuff done while listening for 32 hours. 

I’ve been listening to an audiobook this week that I will not name, because I’m about to say some disparaging things about it. It was listed as one of the best audiobooks of 2023, and as a fan of the thriller/mystery/horror genre, I was excited to get my hands (ears?) on it. And I’m going to finish it, believe me. It got its hooks into me from the start, and I have been trying to get through the 9-hour book so that I can know what happens. 

But it’s not good!

The writing is basic, the plot is contrived, and the characters are unbelievable. The dialogue makes no sense. I guessed the big reveal plot about 20 pages into the book, more or less. I hate the main character. I don’t think the author meant for me to hate her, but I do. She’s insufferable. It’s a bad book that I’m insistently finishing because I want so badly for it to turn around and prove me wrong. However, there are only about 30 minutes left in my audiobook, and I’m losing hope for a Deus ex machina, saving grace ending. 

I think part of the problem is the audiobook format itself. Reading a book rather than listening to it has its own perks. Dialogue becomes more forgivable when you can put your own mental inflection on it and there’s no actor trying (and failing) to do voices for all the characters. Your own mind can be a more forgiving setting than your ears. I’d make the argument that it’s much easier to digest badly-written books when you’re reading them rather than listening to them. 

This is all to say that I think this audiobook vs. physical book distinction points to an important writing rule of thumb: READ IT OUT LOUD FIRST. 

When you hear your own dialogue rather than read it, it quickly becomes obvious what is missing, what is wrong, and what is just plain bad. Create your own mini-audiobooks as you write. Read them out loud to yourself, and better yet, to others. Get all the feedback you can as you write – you’ll get a better feel of how others perceive your writing and what needs changing. 

Read your drafts out loud – over and over again – and you’ll hopefully avoid the fate of being critically reviewed in the Bonnie Book newsletter. 

This is a basic tip, and a fun one (if you like the sound of your own voice, or have friends who do). Reading drafts out loud is simple, but incredibly important, like most rules of the writing craft.