November 16, 2025

How I Improve as a Writer

Active Reading: How I Train My Writer’s Voice

using Audible & Hard Copies

I’m starting a short series on how I improve and develop as a writer. These will be quick and to the point because, honestly, I’d rather be writing than writing about writing. This is not a series on how to make more money on Medium. (vomit)

I work as a developmental editor, ghostwriter, and researcher. I love literature, and I love going deep. And one thing writers often ask me is: “How do I get better?”

Please note I am sharing my practices here — I do not think of myself as an expert or someone better than you. (Maybe I work longer and harder, but I am not suggesting I know more than you.)

Here’s one practice that has changed my writing life: Active Reading — using audiobooks and hard copies together to train my ear for voice, flow, and rhythm.

Writing is silent thinking … but I like to hear it.

When I’m working on my craft, I don’t just read books. I hear them.

Take James Joyce’s Ulysses. (Seriously, who can only read that once? I can’t! I won’t. But if I’m going to reread something, I want maximum benefit from each reread.)

So here’s my setup: desk, hard copy open, Obsidian notes ready, paper notebook for scribbles, headphones on.

And then I work.

I take a labourer’s approach to writing. Yes, I believe in the magic and muse, but I only see those special fairies for about an hour a day, and even then, those moments are scattered. The rest? Eight to ten hours of steady reading and writing. I’m a labourer, and I’m happy to be one.

My process

Here’s how I do it:

  1. Pick a section, say, chapter one of 1984.
  2. Play one audiobook version while following word-for-word in the hard copy.
  3. Switch to a different narration of the same chapter.
  4. Rinse and repeat, sometimes three, four, even five narrators in a row.

For context: 1984’s first chapter takes about 45–50 minutes to listen to. Multiply that by five narrators, and I’ve spent five hours in a single chapter.

I do this nearly every day. Sometimes for hours, sometimes for a short section.

Why do I do this?

Because for me, it works.

– I know great books more deeply.
Hearing Dickens read by Miriam Margolyes, then Simon Vance, then Jim Killavey — you notice things you missed.

– It’s fun.
Don Quixote, Ulysses, 1984, Moby Dick, Bleak House … these are my playground.

– I train my ear for voice.
Different narrators reveal rhythm, pacing, and musicality in the text.

– It shapes my writing.
I spot when my own sentences drag or when a paragraph needs more air.

Here’s a possible surprise: authors aren’t always the best readers of their own work.

I like Anne Lamott.  Bird by Bird is a book I’ve read many times. But there is a but: I have two audio versions. One read by Anne herself, one read by Susan Bennett. And in my mind? Susan is the real Anne. She reads it like she owns it. I know another author who prefers Anne’s version. That difference alone shows how much voice and narration can transform text.

My listening stats

I’ve been an Audible member for 11 years.

– 1,070 titles in my library

– 32 months & 14 days of total listening time (about 23,715 hours — 2.5 years of my life)

  • That’s about six hours a day, or roughly 97 books a year.

Am I a freak? Maybe. But this has trained my writing brain better than any workshop. The work is not glamorous, but I feel the benefit.

Try it yourself

You don’t have to go as deep as I do. Start small:

– Pick one book you love.

  • Get two different audiobook narrations.
  • Read and listen at the same time.
  • Notice the differences in pacing, emphasis, and mood.

Do it regularly. I swear by this practice.

Some samples of my “Active Reads”

Back to you and your writing…

What about you? Do you do anything like this?
Which book would you start with?