Reading your own stories aloud...

I mainly do - always. If I was, am ever asked to narrate somewhere, I want to be fearless, not stumbling on my words. But still, 'people' talk about the difference between written and spoken English. SO sometimes I get confoosed on the issue. I played Soundcloud for a while - and Youtube. I even get the 'Oh so much better when you narrate yourself...' which sometimes I t6ranslate as 'give up, sucker.'

See you later

Yes, the problem is definite/indefinite article especially - how many 'the's can I remove..? Also watch for 'was', 'just...'

This is a trick I learned too. It's amazing how many sentences sound fine in my head but as soon as I read them out I can hear awkward phrasing or unwanted repetition or bad flow.

I spend so long writing a short - then about two minutes trying to find an outlet for the short story - and usually during that salivation phase straight after composition, really the dangerous time. First stop I visit Tin House, for example, a big mag - but they only want articles about bicycles, sex or old age until February 2017. Then I click to a half dozen 'humor' sites run by...well...I dunno...kids [he growls] Then I post my crap to some literary magazine in Minnesota or New Guinea, it is not easy. [They (he) reject(s) me five minutes later.] Oh, and the 3rd person bio, written in one minute, runs - Mat, a writer, hoh hoh joke, published here and there nowhere. Hoh hoh, hoh hoh hoh anecdote, the end.

Gonna try small UK publishers, stick a stack together, but from my experience...well, how many readers did that anthology garner, wrangle, 200 or 200 million, I dunno?

Yep, I read aloud as well, and I just checked out your blog, Bruce. Putting up your readings is good idea, I think. It's not something I'd seen before (that doesn't really mean anything), and I think I'll copy you if I've ever get round to blogging my own stuff.

As for reading aloud — for ironing out clunky rhythm and unwanted alliteration, sibilance and such, you can't beat it. My only problem is that when I get to a dramatic bit, I have to fight the urge to go all Jeremy Clarkson, which is worrying at best.

You're very right. I may have it carved on my tombstone: he tried so hard when he read his tat, not to sound like a proper twat.