I did a lot of theater in high school, singing and dancing my way through South Pacific and Anything Goes, auditioning for everything I could, craving the stage. (I even considered, briefly, pursuing acting professionally. However, acting is even more difficult and brutal than writing. I wised up quickly.) This turned out to be excellent preparation for some aspects of a professional writing career. I recommend every writer get a little theater experience.
Public speaking shouldn’t be a requirement for being a writer, but it really, really is. From participating in panel discussions, speaking to classes, and one of my favorite things, public readings. I’ve managed to snag new readers through all these venues, and every time I do I thank my few years of amateur stage experience. I may get a little bit nervous, but not usually. It’s all just like being on stage, which I know I can do because I’ve done it before. I can chill out and do my job.
What I really want to talk about is public readings from our works, because I’m interested in the theory and practice of this. I’ve done a lot of readings — most science fiction and fantasy conventions I’ve been to offer numerous readings on the schedule. Theoretically, you could sit in a room and listen to different authors reading from their works all day long. Also, many book signing events include a reading. Some authors post podcasts of themselves reading excerpts as a promotional tool. If you’re a published author, chances are you’ll be asked to read aloud from your work at some point.
So what’s your take on readings, both as a member of the audience and as a reader? A couple of my favorite authors to hear read are Neil Gaiman and Connie Willis. At the World Horror Convention in 2000, I got to hear Gaiman read all of Coraline, which was amazing. Both of them have wonderful, understated reading styles. Hearing them is like hearing an engaging story told by a friend. Not overly dramatic, not at all flat. You don’t have to do the funny voices, but it’s best not to sound bored by your own words.
A question I debate a lot is what to read. Should I read from an old favorite, the most recently published work, or something that hasn’t been published yet? Audiences seem to like previews of upcoming works — I like hearing what my favorite authors have up their sleeves that I can look forward to. I also have the question of reading from a short story or novel. If I read from a novel, I almost always read from the first chapter or an early scene so I don’t have to explain what all’s been happening, but lots of authors read from later chapters — usually the most exciting cliffhanger in the book. When I have a new short story that’s the right size, I like to read it so that my audience gets an ending to go with the beginning. Connie Willis is rather notorious for ending her readings on cliffhangers, which can be agony when the book isn’t out yet.
I definitely practice my reading ahead of time so that I know what to expect. I time it so I know exactly how long it’ll take. I make sure I have all the pages of my reading on hand. I can show respect to my audience by being as prepared as I can.
Do you have certain things you love to see/hear at readings? Any pet peeves? Any recommendations? And dare I ask it — any horror stories. . .I mean, cautionary tales?
Related posts:
Comment
I tried my hand at stand-up comedy when I was younger, taking advantage of open mic nights at clubs in and around St. Louis, Mo. Readings, panels, and presentations are a breeze after having been heckled by drunks.
My worst experience at a reading: For a few years I did midnight readings of erotic SF/Fantasy at science fiction conventions. The conventions promoted them as adults-only readings and made clear what kind of material I would be reading. Then one convention failed to make clear what I would be presenting, I found myself with an audience completely unprepared for the stories I brought, and I had nothing else with me. I tried to soldier on, editing out the more graphic material on the fly, but the reading was a disaster.
I learned a valuable lesson: No matter what I plan to read, I ALWAYS take additional material with me. That way I can make last-minute adjustments based on my audience.
Comment
That’s a very good lesson to pass along.
It’s been my experience that adults-only readings take a lot of finessing. I’ve been to romance/erotica readings where the author picked the juiciest scene — and didn’t warn the audience. It can be uncomfortable if you’re not expecting it!
Comment
I can’t read my work out loud; I don’t think I have a good speaking voice and I’m too self-conscious to make the experience anything but painful for me and the audience.
Of the readings I’ve attended, those I’ve enjoyed most were brief, well-broadcast (soft-spoken authors really need to use a mike if they’re reading in a large area with lots of people for the sake of the folks in the back) and covered a lively bit of the story. Action scenes are good, but so are interesting/emotional dialogue exchanges between characters. Narrative or introspective bits, long descriptions of settings and other set-up type prose didn’t seem to go over as well.
One author took a minute before reading to give a brief synopsis of the story up to the bit he was going to read, and I liked that because otherwise I probably wouldn’t have understood half of what he read. I think if you’re going to read something that isn’t in the very beginning that some recap of prior events can help the readers understand where you are in the tale.
The other thing I really enjoyed at a reading was an author who had a female friend read the female character’s dialogue lines from the scene. That was unusual but their voices meshed together very well, and I liked that more than when authors change their tones to higher or lower pitches to differentiate while reading two or more characters’ lines.
Good luck!
Comment
A brief synopsis to set the reading in context is good. I also think if you’re going to be doing readings it helps to practice on someone who will be honest about how you sound. I’ve been to several readings where the author was reading way too fast.
Children’s author, Robert Munsch, is the author I’ve enjoyed seeing and hearing the most. He has so much energy and enthusiasm and that works with his books. The time I saw him he actually sang the song from his classic I’ll Love You Forever. (I sang along. The munchkin was mortified.)
How about you, Carrie? Do you sing?
Comment
I may be in the minority, but I don’t like to hear stuff that isn’t published yet. If you hook me, I will buy right then and there. If you make me wait weeks or months, that money is already spent, and I’ve long since wiggled off the hook.