First off, a podcast of my short story 'Flowers for Clockwork Street' is posted up over at Every Day Fiction! It's read by the lovely Folly Blaine who has the perfect voice for reading fiction. Check it out HERE.
It was really surreal to hear someone else read my story out loud. I realized, more than ever, that when you read your story yourself you have your own thoughts on how your characters sound, where you pause, what syllables you emphasize. When someone else reads your story, these little details change and it reveals how another reader interprets your character. The interpretations aren't too different than what you had in your head, but still different. Perhaps the reader makes a character braver or more arrogant or even more passionate. Perhaps a scene is fast to a writer, but is read slowly by a reader.
These little things they do make a difference. And it made me wonder how my view of characters were colored by the reader of many of the audio fiction books I listened to as a kid and even now.
What would my view of Bilbo Baggins be if I had read The Hobbit before listening to it over and over. Is my view of the book completely my view, or does it have touches of Rob Inglis's? And if it does have touches, which it most likely does, how much is a touch? And what about other books, like Sherlock Holmes, Myth Adventures, Dealing with Dragons, and many many more?
I'm not sure. And I'm not sure if it would be enough of a difference to really matter that much.
But it is certainly interesting thing about, especially as am I'm driving the hundreds of miles toward the Atlantic. Whose voice is this really? Is this really Bilbo Baggins, or is it just Rob Inglis's?
Wow, that was so cool to hear your story read out loud. Folly Blaine has a great reading voice. Her characterization is much how I'd read your story.
ReplyDeleteI can understand the surrealness of hearing someone else read your work. I wrote a eulogy for a friend several years ago. Not knowing what to do with it, I showed it to another friend who was going to be speaking at the memorial service. I wasn't sure if it was even worth sharing, but she thought it was fantastic and asked permission to incorporate it into her speech. Hearing her recite it made it sound even better than if I'd simply gone up and read it myself. I actually had to remind myself that those were my words she was speaking, because they sounded too good to be mine even though I knew she hadn't changed a thing.
Pretty much all of the audiobooks I've listened to are ones I'd read for myself before. So I wasn't influenced that strongly by the recordings, but some greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the stories. I am awed by some readers, like James Langton who read the Prydain chronicles and the group who did the full cast audio recording for the Circle of Magic books by Tamora Pierce. The characters were so much like I'd imagined them. Well, I suppose I was already colored in interpretation with the Prydain books because of the cartoon from my childhood, as I'd always imagined Gurgi with a higher pitched voice rather than a deep one. However, Langton spoke it the same way, same inflections. And even though I've never heard the recording of The Hobbit that you did, I'd watched the cartoon of The Hobbit and listened to the record album featuring the part with Smaug before I'd ever considered picking up the books. So I was probably affected by those quite a bit. (I still hear the deep voice of Smaug as he was characterized on the album.)
But The Blue Sword and the Circle of Magic books I'd definitely read long before anyone else gave me their spin. I don't think their interpretations changed mine all that much.
Ohh thanks for sharing Jaleh!
ReplyDeleteAnd....WHY DIDN'T I KNOW ABOUT THE CHRONICLE OF PRYDAIN AUDIO BOOKS?!?! Well then, I know what I'm reading on my next drive to Virginia!
Thank you so much for allowing me to read your story. You write beautifully and I only hope I was able to capture at least some of the spirit as it was intended. I look forward to reading more of your work.
ReplyDeleteYou did an absolutely amazing job! I really couldn't have asked for better, not even from myself. Thank you again for doing it!
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