Tips for reading

Your reading of a story is an interpretation. Either you can enhance the story into something wonderful and multidimensional, or you can get in way of it: distracting from the story and mucking it up. Even if you ARE the author, your interpretation still needs to be effectively communicated so the story can be enjoyed.

A couple of helpful hints:

1) Know the material. Know the material. Know the material. Read it. Reread it. Make notes. Know what every. Single. Word. Means. Look them up in necessary. Ask the author. Know the nuances. By the time you read for recording, you should be almost able to recite it from memory – and then read it as it its brand new. THIS IS THE HARDEST PART OF READING – to make something you know inside and out seem spontaneous and fresh is a talent. Be proud of it.

2) Before recording work on your voice: listen to a recording of yourself. Is your voice nasal (think Fran Dresher) or are you exhibiting denasality (think Yogi Bear) Practice both Fran and Yogi voices, work the extremes until you find a pleasant medium for *your* voice.

3) Work on pitch. Does your voice seem high or shrill in the recording? Bring it down slightly. Does it feel too low and gravely? Are you going for sexy and comeing up undead? Bring it up a bit. Your ideal pitch will also be the easiest ON your vocal cords. Most people are not using their natural pitch -- Once you figure out *where* your voice should be you can retrain it to *land* there. You can still use different pitches to dramatize your reading, but they should be *choices* and NOT your default.

4) Try developing diaphragmatic breathing. Good breath control will allow you to read a long sentence w/o gasping for air at the wrong place. Breath pauses should be placed *consciously* in the text where a pause enhances the piece, not because you’re gasping like a fish out of water. A good exercise is to lay of your back push the side of a heavy book – like a text book - into your diaphragm. Push as hard as you can – and read for al long as you can in one breath.

5) take care of your throat: water, don’t push too hard too fast, if its sore TAKE A BREAK

6) Analyze the text. Make notes. Understand the motives of the characters. Make more notes like: “slightly breathy is how can I convey Harry Potter’s uncontrolled lust HERE” (underline passage) or “Snape is probably increasingly nasal in this direct speech”. Use multi colored pens for different ideas.

7) when you have direct speech SUBTLY use your voice to differentiate each character and to differentiate from narration. DO NOT go HOG WILD with the accents. An interpretive reading is not the place to embrace your inner Meryl Streep.

8) Do some practicing with the software. Its easy, but still

9) Divide the piece into manageable portions, a half page or smaller, whatever works for you. Work on them individually, then edit it together into the pieces chapters (for ease of use later)

10) Watch out for back-round noise. Nothing is more distracting than some unidentifiable repetitive noise polluting the sound.

11) Enjoy yourself. You’re giving more than a reading of a fanfic – you’re giving your thoughts and ideas as well. You’re contributing your own creativity to the final product, so have fun.