Listening

I play the piano; I took classical lessons for ten years, and while I use the majority of my free time on my writing, I can't help comparing the two. My dad used to point out that I had the ability to listen while I played and making it pleasing for the audience (I have my musical faults, but I hope this is true). So I've realized there's a type of listening while we write, too. We slash out our firsts drafts, then go back and listen how our writing might hit our readers. Right now I'm focusing on voice. I'll write a sentence a certain way, then go back and see that my protagonist would never use such words. So I try again, and again until I get it to sound as authentic for them as I can. I'm listening to the writing--the flow, the voice, the pacing, the plotting--and striving to make the story, the writing pleasing for the reader, too.

It's a hard goal to achieve. Do you know of a writer who does just this? Weaves his/her story so perfectly, as if they know what the reader needs? I thought Michelle Hodkin in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer did this exceptionally well, especially for a debut.