By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig![elizabeth (2)_thumb[21]](https://elizabethspanncraig.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/elizabeth-2_thumb21.jpg)
First off, I have an increasingly rare public appearance to announce. Saturday—tomorrow, actually—I’m going to be on a panel of mystery writers at 2:30 p.m. at the West Regional Library in Cary, North Carolina. It’s my understanding that we’ll be discussing mystery subgenres, how living in this (Southern US) region has affected our writing, and industry changes and the rise of self-publishing.
In addition, there’s a reading. :) Those who have read my blog for a while know that I’m not fond of giving readings. The last one I gave is pictured above…I was at a 2011 event with Avery Aames, pen name for Daryl Wood Gerber (I was appearing as Riley Adams). And–Daryl is a former actress who has co-starred on such shows as “Murder, She Wrote.” So…yeah. I didn’t sound so hot compared to Daryl.
At least tomorrow I’m on a panel, so I won’t be the only one reading. And, even more fortunately, I’ve recently reacquainted myself with a helpful post on successful readings. It was a guest post writer Jennifer Nielson wrote for Shrinking Violet Promotions several years ago, entitled “The Rules of Readings.”
One of the (many) reasons readings frustrate me is because it’s challenging for me to pick an appropriate passage to read. This time I decided to use the teaser info that Penguin had selected to stick in the previous book. But still—I don’t know, it just seemed like an awkward spot to begin reading.
But Jen Nielson gave two excellent tips in her post. One was to edit the passage. Yes, even though it’s been published:
…prepare for some surgery on the excerpt. Eliminate anything that doesn’t add to your reading, even if it’s an important thread to the overall plot. This includes long descriptions (of anything), and backstory references irrelevant to this excerpt. They’d feel like moving through mud while you’re reading. It also will include dialogue that may make sense within the total context of the story, but that is extraneous within the small passage you’ll be reading.
I think that if I hadn’t gotten permission to do this from another author I’d have convicted myself of heresy for suggesting this. But doesn’t it make so much sense? While heavy description and exposition may work in the context of a 275 page novel, it makes so much mess to slog through during a reading. I’ll keep the changes minor, instead of making drastic changes. If I needed to make drastic changes, I’d choose a different passage or a different book.
In the same vein, Nielson recommended some character “surgery”, too. For example, the passage I was considering using was used to introduce the reader to some of the future suspects and give readers a sense of who was populating the book. For a short reading, it seemed confusing to have a bunch of different characters. She recommends:
Very often the chosen passage has a line or two of dialogue that is vital to the scene, but that is spoken by a character who doesn’t matter in your excerpt. Unless the audience is already familiar with all of your characters, if you can attribute that dialogue to another character just during the reading, it will be less confusing to the audience. Sometimes to accomplish this, you may need to make a slight adjustment to the plot. Go ahead. Unless you’re JK Rowling and the world is paying attention to every syllable you utter, it won’t matter.
I tend to agree with her. What do you think?
So my response was to find the original Word doc of the book, copy-paste the selection onto a separate document, blow it up nicely so that my 43 year old eyes can read all the words, edit the stew out of it, and then print it out. I’ll read my handout and put the book it came from on a plate-holder on the table in front of me so that the readers can see the cover. And I’ll keep it short and sweet, believe me.
Any other tips for readings? Thoughts on giving readings? Thoughts on editing passages for better stage appeal?
We can edit out the stuff that would sound boring if read? What an awesome idea.
I’ve never done a reading. Doesn’t sound like a lot of fun to me either.
Good luck tomorrow!
Alex–Jennifer says it’s okay!
No, it’s not a lot of fun for me. I hope it’s fun for the readers who are there. I try to fake enjoyment. :)
Hi Elizabeth – interesting reading your thoughts here and then reading Jen’s Rules for Readings …
To my surprise I’ve found I’ve been able to give ‘talks’ since my mother was ill and I needed to read, talk to her, my elderly uncle and the elderly lady with a hearing problem … we need to adapt to their needs – the same with an audience … setting the scene, giving time between ‘points’ for the understanding to set in … and checking in with our eyes …
It’s an interesting experience … good luck tomorrow – sounds fun … the panel is another thing I’d like to hear how that goes and some tips … cheers Hilary
Hilary–Very good point. It’s all about our audience, isn’t it? We want to make these events fun for *them* and leave ourselves (and any discomfit we might feel) out of it. When we focus on readers for *anything*, it’s better. I love that you became a better speaker after reading aloud. Reading to my kids has always been a joy…but then, I guess I’m reading someone else’s book, so I’m not self-conscious about it.
Thanks!
I am put in mind of the spirit of a certain quote: those people will not remember what you say, they will remember how it made them feel.
It’s not a *reading*so much as a performance whose purpose is to exemplify what the panel is about or generate interest in the book. Ever notice how movie trailers have scenes you never see in the movie? Trailer for one of my favorite movies uses clips of two great smogs which don’t appear in the movie at all, but they set the right tone for the trailer.
I’ll admit that in part because I’ve been reading in public for 43 years and in part because I’m a singer/songwriter, I revel in any chance to,perform in public.
Have fun with it. The audience wants to love you, really they do. Let them!
Joel–And I hope it makes them feel spooky, because that’s the tone of the passage I’m reading!
Thanks, yes–it’s a performance. I think the more I look at it that way, the better I’ll be. Although I was always the kid who was chosen to be the narrator in school plays…not the one making characters come to life.
I wish that movies were as good as their trailers are!
And I’m very, very jealous of those who are great at public readings and speaking. I’m a good public speaker only when I’m talking about the craft or business of writing.
Thanks for the good wishes!
Elizabeth – I’m happy for you and your fans that you’ll be giving a reading. I think that can draw people to an author’s work. I think a lot of people like to have a story told them, and a reading is that sort of experience. I like those tips, too. It is important to choose the passage carefully, and editing is a great way of making the reading even better. I also find I do a better job if I rehears a little. Not enough to commit what I’m going to read to memory; I don’t want to sound ‘canned.’ But I do like to rehearse for things like cadence, emphasis and so on.
Margot–I hope so. Maybe I’ll find some new readers tomorrow. Good tip about rehearsing. I’ve read it through a couple of times…I do keep editing more out of the passage the more that I read it. I bet you’re a great reader with your background in radio.
You’ll be in Cary? Oh, I’m helping with a conference at my church tomorrow. Please let me know next time you’re that close.
Readings bore me to tears. Her advice to alter the text is smart. Take out some of the boring description.
Diane–I will! Maybe the library is doing a yearly thing, I’m not sure. This time I’m zooping into town and zooping back out (my son flies out across the country for a trip early on Sunday morning, so I want to see him off) but maybe next time we can have lunch or supper or coffee or something.
Those are great tips! Reading aloud to my students has always been one of my favourite parts of my day, but reading my own stuff would cause a whole new set of nightmares! Good luck!
Jemi–I’m with you…it only bothers me when it’s *my* story. And thanks!
I think you are right on track.
Somewhere I heard an author (and my memory says it was Dorothy Allison of _Bastard Out of Carolina_) talk about diction and writing – and Dorothy’s is wonderful – where she made an off-hand comment that she edited the content for readings though because public readings to the audience are not the same as the public reading your words on the page. Public readings are more a flattering caricature of your work than the work itself because the audience investment is different than the reader’s investment.
It might have been Amy Bender. I’m fuzzy (head in the stars right about then ….).
It makes sense. If you went to hear Chandler read (and hadn’t knowledge of his work except by reputation of “you should read this guy”) , you’d want to hear lines like ” She was a blonde: a blonde to make a bishop kick out a stained glass window.” Now, yes he wrote those words and many other but hearing him read these lines versus any number of Marlow sitting in his car thinking and smoking one last cigarette … well.
Give us a reading true to the work but which features that which makes your work of note to us.
I recently heard a local author read from his novel which is getting acclaim and his delivery did little for the language because his manner of speech and his manner of writing are quite different in pacing and tone. He read as a fifth-grader asked to start at paragraph three on page eighty-one in his history book in front of the class.
I am sure you do not read from your work as if a fifth-grader. The illustration is that the speech with which you are comfortable hangs on words and phrasings that make your delivery natural and engaging. Edit whatever work to make that easy for you. If we see your distinctive work in the reading we won’t feel amiss if the text we read turns out slightly different.
I’ve been to Cary for business many times ( the SAS folks are there) and can only offer: allow extra time for getting around. At least you won’t make the faux pas of asking “do grits come with the breakfast?” because, of course they do.
Not even listed because, well – it’s breakfast!
Jack–Excellent. I like gathering more proof that editing content for readings is a good thing to do. And I like her explanation that we’re creating flattering caricatures of the story because of audience investment. Good stuff. Yeah, if Chandler read an un-Chandler-like passage…what a let-down that would be!
I think when I read with Avery/Daryl in 2011, I might very much have sounded like a 5th grader. :) I was caught off guard—there had been no mention by the bookstore that a reading would be involved. I had to find a spot to read on the spur of the moment and I think I must have looked like a deer in the headlights.
Oh…traffic in Cary? Snap. Okay, thanks for the heads-up. I’ll leave a bit earlier than I’d planned. You’re right…grits are omnipresent, like toast, down here and come with every breakfast in little yellow plastic bowls. Butter packages always nearby–and salt. Grits come along with the bacon, the scrambled eggs, the sausages, the buttery biscuits…and hopefully not the heart attack that so often accompanies these things!
A good way to learn about giving a good reading is to attend readings of all kinds. Most cities have poetry readings and open mics at bookstores or other venues. You can observe or participate as you wish. Open mics often have a time limit, so you can try out a read of 2 or 3 minutes, and it’s so short, it’s almost painless.
Even if you are not a poet or your work is not short, that’s okay. A one or two page scene (reading aloud time is about a minute per double-spaced page) can be entertaining too. Poets and readers are a friendly bunch, and it’s great practice.
Ramona–That’s a great tip. It might be a little painful at first for us extreme introverts, but you’re right–it’s brief enough so the pain is limited!
Oh, what great advice! I’ve only done one reading, and it was in front of fifth graders. Terrifying but fun! I read the opening scene, which seemed fine for that group. Nice idea to edit as needed for a reading. Have fun on Saturday!
Julie–Sounds like it worked great for them! 5th graders can be a tough crowd. :)
If I’m honest, I’ve done this on occasion when sharing excerpts on blog tours, for all the same reasons. I hate having to choose apart to show off, something representative of the whole. And often, for the all of the above reasoning, no extract seems ‘right’ on its own, and in it’s entirety. So I make very light adjustments. So glad I read this because I feel a little less guilty about doing so now. :)
Shah–It totally makes sense for a blog tour, too. As Jennifer said in her post, unless we’re JK Rowling, no one is going to notice and it will make a lot more sense out of context. Porter Anderson tweeted this link yesterday and said he taught authors to edit their passages in a course he teaches. :) So don’t feel guilty–what you did was smart.
I would also second the idea of making adjustments to the text for the purpose of a reading. While I’ve never done a public reading of my own work (other than in my own classroom), I’ve read quite a bit to large groups of children in libraries and other classrooms. My favorite authors to read to children are Barbara Park and Shel Silverstein, because their voices are so engaging. But even then, there are times that I simply have to adjust the actual text in order to keep the text flowing.
Kendra–Great idea! I can imagine you could hold children’s interest a lot better by editing the text that you read. Or even take your cues from the kids and see if their interest is lagging and whether the pace needs speeding up or not.
I find it really cool that your even appearing in public and signing books as your pen name. Who is the most real you, Elizabeth or Riley?
The reason I ask is that I enjoy playing around with my pen name, or keyboard name (CA Heaven) and my protagonist (Tom Snare), and I think I know who is the true and real me >:)
Cold As Heaven
CA–Oh, Elizabeth is definitely the most real me! Most days, anyway…. :)
But I think it would be cool to have an alter-ego by a different name. Sort of like Clark Kent and Superman…
Hi Elizabeth,
How did your talk and reading go?
This is something I haven’t thought of. I haven’t published yet (unexpected work commitments ) but can say I don’t think I would enjoy doing a reading. I quite enjoy public speaking in my profession but I always prefer freestyle with a rough outline. I’ve never been fond of reading out-loud in front of a crowd…admittedly, my own hang-up. However, thinking of it as a performance with a section of my own book, edited for the occasion, sounds interesting.
Still not sure if I’d do it though. :)
Silas–The *best* part of my day yesterday was that I didn’t have to read. :) I was *prepared* to read, I practiced reading, I arrived at the venue with my print out and a sense of resolve…and then I felt a huge sense of relief when the moderator decided to cut that part of the program out. So I guess I’m just prepared now for the *next* time I’m asked to read.
The idea of speaking freestyle on *any* topic in public scares me a little–you’re good to be able to do that!