Say It Out Loud

One of the core principles of Written Out Loud is the idea of speaking stories out loud before they’re finished.

At first I wasn’t quite sure why this was–I mean, it’s hard enough capturing someone’s attention if the story is fully fleshed out. But now I see the wisdom in it.

When we communicate ideas before committing to them, we’re showing the weaknesses of something we’ve created–this is a good thing. It means we have another opportunity to make our ideas stronger, sharper, and eventually irresistible.

This is what we do all day at storytelling camp: our novels are full and enticing because they’re thoroughly examined. We can tell just by who laughs, who “oooh’s,” who jumps around up and down screaming, if a story idea is good.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a story, a business venture, or a core belief. Say it out loud, even if it doesn’t feel finished.