Text to Speech Proof Reading and “The Abattoir Case”

I rewrote my “Lester Dent” story three times this week and I have a new name for it: The Abattoir Case – A Ken Walker Adventure.

I used a text to speech program (Free Natural Reader) to help me with the proof reading. The program reads exactly what I wrote and it is much easier to catch errors. I did two readings, once with a woman’s voice and once with a man’s voice. I found that I caught different problems with each voice.

I found that when I listened, I could hear other problems with the writing that I didn’t notice when I read it. That helped make the whole story better.

The current version runs to 6,000 words, exactly. Not 5,999, not 6,001, but 6,000. I meant to publish it this week, but got onto something else. I have a couple more ideas for changes anyway. I should have it ready this coming week.