Reading Aloud

There is an art to reading stories aloud.  Given my review of Shadows in Flight, it’s clear I like audiobooks, but my love for verbal storytelling goes back beyond my discovery of them.  My parents and one uncle used to tell bedtime stories to me and my siblings and it made the stories come to life quicker than any book I’d read.

I knew there was magic to the spoken word, though, on a Scout camp when I was 14.  Around the campfire, one of the Scoutmasters read “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs.  I’ll never forget how vivid the story was that night; I shivered and it wasn’t just from the cold.  I could feel the monkey’s paw in my hand as those fatal wishes were made.  The terror of the dead son knocking at the door thundered clearly in my heart and I went into my sleeping bag terrified.  It was the best night of my life.

I’ve since gone back and reread the story in print.  It’s still a good tale, but the experience is not the same and never could be.  That’s okay.  I’m glad of the experience.

I’ve tried reading stories aloud, but to little success.  The stories always felt a little boring coming out of my lips and for a while, I chalked this up to a talent I wouldn’t possess in this lifetime.  Then came Mary Robinette Kowal.

I’ve mentioned her before on this blog.  She’s an author I quite enjoy and I especially like her place in the Writing Excuses podcast.  Kowal is not just a writer, though.  Before her entrance into the science-fiction and fantasy community, she was (and still is) a professional puppeteer of 20 years, and has been the reader for several audiobooks.  This is a very talented woman.

I recently found a YouTube video of a lecture she gave titled “Tips for reading fiction out loud.”  It’s a two-part video going over the basics of how to read stories, what to do with your voice, the different muscles you use to convey different sounds and how to make them for you.  It’s wonderful advice and great for me, not just because I love learning anything new, but because it’s right up my alley.

I understand that she teaches the same principles on her website: www.maryrobinettekowal.com.  Check it out if you’re interested, or if you’re not, check out her site anyway and see what she’s all about.