Okay, It Was Fun

Okay, I'll admit it.  It was fun.

In case you missed my Monday post, my writing group did a public reading at a local bookstore Wednesday night.  Nine of us read and there was a nice mix of prose and poetry, fiction and non-fiction.  The audience was also a nice mix - familiar faces and new ones.  I was scheduled second, for which I was grateful since I had quite a case of butterflies, and I managed not to fall off the stool, drop my papers, or in some other way embarrass myself beyond redemption.  Actually, once I got started, I enjoyed myself.  The audience helped a lot by laughing in the right places. And with my own piece out of the way, I was able to relax and enjoy the others.

My son caught my read on video.  I've watched it a couple times. The first time, of course, I was all hung up on how old I looked and how much I need to lose weight.  Luckily I use a voice recorder a lot when I'm writing so I'm already used to the sound of my voice.   But after that, I focused on the reading - the material and the delivery.  I stumbled a couple more times than I'd realized but not too many.  Of course, I see a lot of room for improvement.

I'd be grateful for feedback - on material and/or delivery - if you're so inclined.  You can watch the video here.  It's not a professional taping, of course, but the audio's pretty clear.  It runs just under seven and a half minutes.

Have you ever recorded yourself reading your work to get a truer sense of how it sounds?  Do you think it's a worthwhile tool?

Countdown to retirement and writing full time: 6 work days to go.

I'm currently enjoying: The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters

Groaner of the Day: Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail; and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him...

A super-callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.