Audio work is as challenging as writing. Though I have never created a music composition, writing and audio work must be very close to it. Sometimes the words have to be quicker or quieter to create a different tone. Consonants need an emphasis on the ending of words or on creating an attitude. For example, “Why not now?” can be said in many ways.
As in writing, it’s never perfect. Creating distinct characters so it’s easier for the listener to enjoy conversations is problematic, especially when several females are present. I don’t attempt to do male voices. A narrator can lower her voice slightly or change a character’s speed. I have heard women try to do a male voice or a male to do a female voice, and I find it more distracting than complimenting to the plot.
For example, in the case of my protagonist Marcie, her voice could be higher when she’s in a conversation with her friends and colleagues, but when she is angry, she lowers the volume of her voice and slows down. Her daughter, being twenty-something, could have the same tone, but she talks fast, like many of our younger people. Tom, except in the beginning chapter, is impatient and always in a hurry when he talks to Marcie. This method can differentiate his comments from hers.
I am working on Chapter Fifteen. I have already recreated several chapters because as I have continued this new challenge, I have discovered new methods or the above composition items.
After the Tears Dry was line-edited three times to the cost of six hundred dollars and developmentally edited to the cost of two thousand dollars, I’m finding errors in both areas as I do the audio. Now I’m trying to decide if I should correct the mistakes that I paid dearly to avoid or use them as is in the audio. Since people rarely listen to and read the same book, unlike watching a movie and reading the book, how would anyone know? I would love opinions on this.
After The Tears Dry, Audiobooks