One writer said, it's [INAUDIBLE] apart,
he said, always read your work out loud when you've finished it.
And I do that, and I think it's a very good thing to do.
Your poem or your story, read it out loud.
The reason is this.
Language was not originally written down.
When we picked up language, we spoke it and
it goes into our brain through our ears.
I think there's something joining our brain to our ears to take in the language.
When we go to school we learn to silent read and those words and
the language goes into our brain through our eyes.
But the eyes are made for seeing, not for handling language.
So when you read you work out loud, your ears are often your best editor.
>> One of the other modules is going to talk about revising and editing, and
it's very interesting to hear you emphasize this idea of reading out loud.
You obviously regard it as very important.
>> Yes, and it can be fun when you're with a group of young writers.
They read these stories and their poems to each other, and they enjoy them.
So when they're reading them they're giving, and
when they're listening they're giving and learning.
Its a good thing.
>> You really feel privileged to be a part of it, don't you?
>> Yes.
>> Apirana, I know theres one technique you use with your
writing classes which involves getting them to write very fast.
Can you tell us a little about this?
>> Yes, I get them to do that for a reason.
Writers will often say get it all down.
I give them a minute or two to think about what they're going to write,
to get the general plan, and I get them to write very fast.
It's like I try to say get it all down.
And when you're writing fast, you do get it all down and it's a bit like vomiting.
You get all the peas and the spuds and every now and
then you get the good bits in there, you know?
And you see, the problem is often people sit there,
they chew their pens and they say, I can't think of anything to write about.
Because what they're doing is they're saying, I'll write about John.
No, no, I won't do that.
Or I'll write about Hector.
No, no, no.
I'll write about this.
No, no, no, I won't do that.
And they've said no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, and
this is why they've got nothing on the page.
They have to work out the idea and
then be prepared to follow it, to see where that lane takes them and say yes, so
that you're opening up your mind and letting things go there.
>> And this fast writing means they stop saying no to themselves, they get
everything down, and then they can start looking at the shape, maybe, it makes.
>> Yeah, and often the best stuff is there because your mind's chucking it up before
the other part of your mind can start chopping it out.
So your creative mind is just throwing it up for you.
>> The last thing I'd like to ask you, Api, is if you were to say to
other writers what is the most wonderful thing about being a writer,
you've already touched on this slightly.
But what would you say, as far as you're concerned, is the most splendid,
the most marvelous thing about being a writer?