DID YOU KNOW AUDIOBOOKS CAN IMPROVE YOUR WRITING?
A) NO SKIMMING ALLOWED
C'mon, admit it: you skim over the "boring parts" as you read print. It's instinctive by now.
But skimming robs you of the power and purpose of the words you skim!
B) AUDIO LETS YOU CATCH THE PACE, THE FLOW OF THE WORDS
The sounds of the words will bleed into your own writing. You will begin to "see" words as images.
It will limit your use of HE SAID/SHE SAID in every line of dialogue.
Don't tell me those words are invisible to readers -- only to you as you block them out as you write.
You'll discover new ways to add pauses to the spoken lines.
C) YOU'LL HEAR THE WORDS AS YOU WRITE THEM
Maybe in your voice. Maybe in the voice of your favorite narrators.
It will spotlight "kinks" in your paragraphs.
The audio's will create a Theater of the Mind letting you see words as images.
D) YOU'LL "READ" MORE
Stephen King stresses that the more you read the deeper your perspective will be in your books.
You'll read in places you couldn't with a print book: in bed, exercising, gardening, commuting.
You'll discover favorite narrators and seek out books they narrate no matter the genre and
your literary horizons will expand, enriching your prose, breathing new ides into your future novels.
E) YOU'LL LEARN
AUDIBLE has its DEAL OF THE DAY:
I got Arthur C Clarke's 2001 for $2! The intro was by Clarke himself, detailing the unique way he wrote the book.
I got BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S read by Michael C Hall of DEXTER fame (great narrator) for $2!
Craig Johnson of LONGMIRE fame detailed at the end of one of his books the origin of his hero and how he writes. Great lessons.
F) YOUR OWN AUTHOR READINGS WILL IMPROVE FROM LISTENING TO PROFESSIONALS.
G) YOUR VOCABULARY WILL IMPROVE
You'll learn new words from their use in context of the action of the novels.
You'll repeat crutch words less as you insert the new words into your prose.
OH, BEFORE I FORGET WHY ALL THIS TALK ON AUDIOBOOKS!
I'VE GOT An AFFORDABLE ONE!
ONLY $3.99!
There are dragons in all of our lives.
Sometimes the dragons are real.
Learn about the two dragons in young Samuel Clemens's life.
It is the Barbary Coast of San Francisco in 1851.
An undead Texas Ranger,Samuel McCord,
is there to find the murderer of the publisher of the San Francisco Herald.
Sixteen-year-old Sammy Clemens is there to secure his first job
as cub reporter to the same newspaper.
Neither McCord nor Sammy know they are there for much more: love, revenge, mystery, and a terrible encounter with two dragons: one two-legged, the other all too real.
Sometimes the dragons are real.
Learn about the two dragons in young Samuel Clemens's life.
It is the Barbary Coast of San Francisco in 1851.
An undead Texas Ranger,Samuel McCord,
is there to find the murderer of the publisher of the San Francisco Herald.
Sixteen-year-old Sammy Clemens is there to secure his first job
as cub reporter to the same newspaper.
Neither McCord nor Sammy know they are there for much more: love, revenge, mystery, and a terrible encounter with two dragons: one two-legged, the other all too real.
Since McCord's blood brother
is Lakota
here is John Two Hawks with lyrics
I hope to catch up on audible books soon (including yours) when I finally get some breathing time in my life. Meanwhile, the Washington Post just had an interesting article on how the top-notch romance audible actors don't try to sound sexy, but instead intimate, and the big difference that makes.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you are so right about how listening to words helps our writing!
Sound authentic does the trick every time! :-)
DeleteYou do hear things differently when the words are spoken, especially in your own stories.
ReplyDeleteI know I do. :-)
DeleteI hadn't thought of audio books in this way. I haven't tried them (guilty). I still e-read or paper back read but you make some excellent points here, Alex. Thank you for this perspective. Your audio book sounds fascinating and I will take advantage of this deal.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Lisa. If you enjoy it, I have another short affordable audio book, HER BONES ARE IN THE BADLANDS, done by the same riveting narrator. It's gotten a lot of rave reviews -- a lot for me, that is. :-)
DeleteI do enjoy even listening to my own novels being read to me. More than re-reading them.
ReplyDeleteI will say that 'he said' and 'she said' etc., does largely remain invisible to readers, when used properly.
"Invisible" when read but downright annoying when spoken ad nauseum as in the Robert B. Parker audio books! Ouch!! :-)
Delete