I fall into alliteration traps when I'm writing. I'll often offer overt overuse of obscure oration just to have fun, but it doesn't always make sense since people don't really talk that way. Do you keep your pops just in the narrative, or do you try to use it in character dialogue as well?
I want to read my writing out loud but I've always had a bunch of roommates or people in the house. I don't want to bother or disturb anyone... Maybe I'll read it on the subway instead.
My advisor recommended talking like a robot while reading. She was serious. She claimed that speaking in a robotic voice would prevent me from reading my story too quickly. Which may be true, but it’s still terrible advice. For a year, I sat in my room and beep-booped entire narratives aloud. Bad ones. When I finally read in front of people I immediately panicked and began acting out my scenes. Poorly acting, I should add. The story was still terrible, but I was complimented afterward for my “showmanship.” I felt like an idiot but I liked the feeling of someone responding positively to my work. Even if the writing was terrible. So, I kept doing it. The writing began to follow my reading personality or whatever persona I’d imagined to help tell the story. Anyway. Yeah. Reading aloud works.
Great advice about reading your writings out loud. But isn’t it possible for one person to read a work differently than another person? How does a writer account for that? Maybe there’s no way and just read it the best we can as the author and fix what doesn’t flow for our reading style. What’s your thoughts, Chuck?
Yes! As a spoken word performer and former college speech teamer—- this is how I was able to find my voice and edit.
Best part about bar poetry nights— you learn to deal with bar crowd sounds— people laughing in personal conversations and not at your material— that helped to form my armor when on stage. The lights also were a lifesaver because I couldn’t see anyone’s faces. I knew shoes well, though.
I'm trying to create Social Media accounts like a augmented reality, character from a Movie but these profiles on Instagram are real. In a Movie where he is the Doctor with the Answers. It was too ambitious as a first project. Swallowed me up.
I made this part of my process when I started doing slam poetry- no one cares how potent your metaphors are or how engaging your performance is if the poem itself sounds like shit.
In a history of radio/tv class, the instructor praised the humor in my papers. Humor I did not remember including. He read a couple lines and inserted pauses that made the boring sentences I wrote hilarious. It took me a while to realize that I wasn’t effortlessly funny, but that my instructor, being a radio guy, was probably accustomed to transforming whatever text he read into the best audio presentation of said text.
I'm assuming Hemingway never read his stories to himself. My god he goes on and on.
I fall into alliteration traps when I'm writing. I'll often offer overt overuse of obscure oration just to have fun, but it doesn't always make sense since people don't really talk that way. Do you keep your pops just in the narrative, or do you try to use it in character dialogue as well?
I want to read my writing out loud but I've always had a bunch of roommates or people in the house. I don't want to bother or disturb anyone... Maybe I'll read it on the subway instead.
My advisor recommended talking like a robot while reading. She was serious. She claimed that speaking in a robotic voice would prevent me from reading my story too quickly. Which may be true, but it’s still terrible advice. For a year, I sat in my room and beep-booped entire narratives aloud. Bad ones. When I finally read in front of people I immediately panicked and began acting out my scenes. Poorly acting, I should add. The story was still terrible, but I was complimented afterward for my “showmanship.” I felt like an idiot but I liked the feeling of someone responding positively to my work. Even if the writing was terrible. So, I kept doing it. The writing began to follow my reading personality or whatever persona I’d imagined to help tell the story. Anyway. Yeah. Reading aloud works.
Great advice about reading your writings out loud. But isn’t it possible for one person to read a work differently than another person? How does a writer account for that? Maybe there’s no way and just read it the best we can as the author and fix what doesn’t flow for our reading style. What’s your thoughts, Chuck?
Agreed, Chuck. I did a blues show on Bellingham Public Radio KZAZ for 3 years. Best training evar.
Yes! As a spoken word performer and former college speech teamer—- this is how I was able to find my voice and edit.
Best part about bar poetry nights— you learn to deal with bar crowd sounds— people laughing in personal conversations and not at your material— that helped to form my armor when on stage. The lights also were a lifesaver because I couldn’t see anyone’s faces. I knew shoes well, though.
Anyone ever read 'Naked Lunch' out loud to an audience? I bet that's a laugh riot......
I'm trying to create Social Media accounts like a augmented reality, character from a Movie but these profiles on Instagram are real. In a Movie where he is the Doctor with the Answers. It was too ambitious as a first project. Swallowed me up.
"good reading depends on your pauses as well as your words"
Good jazz is a lot about the notes that you don't play.
Some really good tips and tricks in this one. Thanks. Much enjoyed.
I made this part of my process when I started doing slam poetry- no one cares how potent your metaphors are or how engaging your performance is if the poem itself sounds like shit.
In a history of radio/tv class, the instructor praised the humor in my papers. Humor I did not remember including. He read a couple lines and inserted pauses that made the boring sentences I wrote hilarious. It took me a while to realize that I wasn’t effortlessly funny, but that my instructor, being a radio guy, was probably accustomed to transforming whatever text he read into the best audio presentation of said text.