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Monday, August 24, 2015

THE BEST" WRITING TEACHER" YOU CAN BUY FOR $15




COMING SOON!

I am quite fortunate to have Robert Rossmann as graphic designer of my audiobook cover 

(didn't he do a fantastic job?)

And he is also the narrator of the book as well.

Robert Rossmann played would-be producer Max Bialystock in "The Producers"this July at Sierra Stages in Nevada City --

before then, he played Vanya in Christopher Durang's "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" this past spring, 

and he has played, among other roles, Willie Loman in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" 

and Pseudolus in Stephen Sondheim's "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum". 

{Robert is on the left}


 WHAT DO I MEAN BEST WRITING TEACHER YOU CAN BUY FOR $15?


 1) YOU ABSORB DIFFERENT STYLES OF THE MASTERS

Listen for a week to a book by Hemingway, and when you next write, you will discover your phrasing, dialogue, and plotting will be colored by the master.

Listen to many great writers, and your writing style will become deepened and enriched.


2.) WE LEARN BY LISTENING

Music teachers know this. 

They send students home with professional recordings 

so they can absorb the “tone” of a particular instrument. 

They accompany students on the piano so they can hear how two parts should flow together. 

 We learn a second language in a similar manner.


3.)  THE "EARS," NOT THE EYES, HAVE IT

Turns out the ears are extremely important to a writer. 

You need to be able to “hear” how your prose is sounding, 

and if you have a good ear, you can detect the problems just by listening.

 When you read your draft out loud or listen to someone else read it, 

 your brain gets the information in a new way, and you may notice things that you didn’t see before.

But you need to see how the professional does it -- and no way is better than listening to their prose.


4.) AUDIOBOOKS FORCE YOU TO PAY ATTENTION

No skimming.  You take in all the words and see what impact they make.

Audiobooks  have taught me a lot more about the importance of the rhythm of language. 

Good writing has a musical quality to it, a mathematical quality, a balance and a rhythm. 

You can "feel" the prose that much better when it’s read aloud.

One other thing I notice when reading audiobooks:

 You have to tune in.

 Zone out for even a few seconds and you lose the train of the story. 

 That’s good for developing focus, 

but also helps your brain really pay attention to the words, the rhythm of the phrases, and the way the story flows.
  
Even when reading a book, 

we can get caught up in the story and zoom through the pages without really registering the prose. 

Impossible to do when you’re listening. You have to focus on what you’re hearing.



5.) COLOR YOUR WORLD WITH SOUND

 Don’t worry about being overly influenced. 

Your brain has a way of taking what it receives, churning it up, and spewing out something that’s yours.

 It’s what we writers do all the time, with everything else we’re exposed to in life.

 The best way I can describe the subtle but profound shift is that as I write, 

I hear the story in my head as if someone else is narrating it. 

 This small change gives me some distance from the story and allows me to better assess my work-in-progress as a reader. 

It makes me want to make my sentence structure, diction, and punctuation a clear road map to show the reader how the story should sound.

TRY IT.  
YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT THE AUDIO IMPACT

Of course, I would like you to buy mine -- 

but the public library has thousands of audiobooks you can listen to for FREE!

Please Buy Food Guy's Audio Books

10 comments:

  1. I'm a sucker for any cat that refers to "food guy."

    You're so right about how hearing language and good writing (such as yours!) makes a big difference, and so too can an excellent actor. I once listened to an audio of one of a bestselling author's novels and the actor was flat! Never changed her pace or rhythm even in action scenes. But Mr. Rossmann is great so I'm looking forward to this.

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    1. Midnight acknowledges my most important contribution to his day by his name for me! :-)

      Gary Sinse (Lt. Dan from Forest Gump) did a magnificent job of Steinbeck's TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY -- Steinbeck's journal of his drive across all of America in 1960 with his dog, Charley.

      And oddly enough, Burt Reynolds did wooden performances of two of my favorite Robert B Parker books -- I cannot bear to listen to them.

      But Robert Rossmann is a fine narrator and makes my scenes come alive. I am lucky he agreed to do my books!

      Thanks for being a friend, Roland

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  2. Hi Roland - the cover is brilliant - I love the way the eyes grab you and hold you. Yes - listening is definitely better in so many ways than reading ... audio books - are the thing and the way forward.

    I'm just reading a book about one of our early politicians and their family life in the West Country and the patriarch taught himself to read as he walked to work in the 1900s ... and distances, and times etc ... as he started life as a clerk in London.

    Good luck with the release .. cheers Hilary

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    1. Isn't the cover brilliantly done? :-)

      Audiobooks make my long blood runs endurable. They can be listened to while preparing meals, exercising, walking, or laying on the beach.

      Abraham Lincoln taught himself law and many early American settlers educated themselves with books as well.

      I always look forward to your visits. :-)

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  3. Good luck Roland. How nice to have a talented man like Rossman on your side. The cover is eye-catching (no pun). I'm sorry I haven't visited much lately, home duties can be onerous at times.

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    1. Yes, I am fortunate indeed. He is also a stage director -- and he loves performing my version of Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla. :-)

      As a rare blood courier, I know all about no spare time. Wow, I just looked at my globe and someone from Moscow, Russia is visiting my blog right now. Fascinating, right?

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  4. Really great cover there! So right about the listening bit. I've found more mistakes reading my stuff aloud that re-reading it over and over.

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    1. Yes, Madilyn, when we silently read our prose, we add in instinctively the word we have left out. Hearing our work aloud is a great check!

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  5. Congrats on your audiobook release!

    Actually, I'm currently taking this approach in learning French via podcast. I'm only two days in on this project so too early to report on effectiveness.

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    1. Robert Rossmann makes my novels sound terrific. I also listen to university lectures on audiobooks as well. Tell me how your grasp of French progresses as you listen. :-)

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