Reading out loud

One of the greatest times at the Virginia Screenwriters Forum was at Christmas, we'd all write 2-3 page scenes and we'd call actors from the local scene in and they would read them. We'd all bring in food and drink, sit back and we'd have about 10-15 scenes read by professional and aspiring actors.

There's nothing quite like having your work read - be it live, on stage or on screen (can't testify to the others, but I do believe the "wow" factor increases with each). You get to see how your characters are intepreted. How others might see the speech patterns. What plays verbally versus what plays internaly to you.

Many writers recommend reading your script, or at least your dialogue out loud, but I would go another step and have somebody (preferably an actor or student actor) read it. They will offer more enthusiasm and want to interpret the material rather than regurgitate what you have written.