Audible Update: Chapters 8 and 9!

I just recorded Chapters 8 and 9. they were short, so I decided to combine them into one episode. I fixed the technical difficulties that prevented last week’s recording and fiddled with some settings that have improved my overall sound quality. As far as the story goes, things really start picking up speed, and gets pretty crazy from here on out. If you haven’t started listening, you’re missing out. Of course you can read it for yourself (Link embedded on the cover art). Feel free to comment or just say hi! Id love to hear what you think so far!

Audible update: Chapter 4 in the can!

I recorded Chapter 4 of Emergence collective. Every episode I record sounds a little better, I think. The Audio quality has improved, and my edits are less clunky. At least, that’s how I feel about it. My reading skills are also getting better too. I still have a long way to go before I feel that it meets my personal standards and that of Audible.

Chapter 4 is where the story really starts to gain momentum. You can check it out by clicking the link below! If you enjoy it, be sure to subscribe to my Spotify channel to get updates on episode releases! Thanks for reading!

Emergence collective, Chapter 4

Audible Update: New year’s edition

Audible Update: New year’s edition

                Now that the holiday distractions are over my project to record “Emergence collective,” for Audible is back on track. Hopefully you have been following along. My project has not been a smooth ride. In summary, I decided to record my book for audible, but hiring voice actors/narrators is cost prohibitive, and since my writing is a passion project (and that I am poor) its hard to justify that expense, especially since I have already spent easily two thousand dollars just to publish and haphazardly promote it.

                That being said, I spent more money on recording equipment and asked my friend who is an aspiring voice actor to record for me. After about 2 months of waiting (too many things derailed that, personal family crises, nerves, bad recording environment) I decided to just give it a go myself.

                Its harder than it sounds. If you are not used to reading aloud, it’s a skill that you probably never thought about. And of course, I also had to get used to hearing my voice recorded.  There are a lot of things that go into recording audio books, timing, sound quality (My main struggle as you can hear in the first couple of recording) editing etc.

                Well I pushed through and gained some confidence, my sound quality is improving and I am excited to get chapter 4 recorded on Sunday (No promises, sometimes what I want to do and what actually get accomplished are two different things). Hopefully you are excited to hear it.

you can check out these first 3 (cringy) chapters on Spotify by clicking the links below. If you want to be notified about new episodes be sure to subscribe to my channel.

Emergence collective Chapter 1

Emergence collective Chapter 2

Emergence collective Chapter 3

Audible update Chapter 3

Chapter 3 has been recorded! I am pretty happy with it. Though still not up to quality standards to submit to Audible, but I am improving, both with my narration skills and editing. Give it a listen and let me know what ya think!

In retrospect…

If you are an artist, you must know the urge to “fix” your work from the past. As your skills progress, you start to see the things that would have made your art just a little better. I mentioned in a previous post that I am particularly afflicted with this disease, so my solution is simply to avoid my past projects, instituting the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ law. Another one of my issues is that I have ADHD and was never diagnosed as a child and therefore had never been taught coping mechanisms (never got the drugs either that might have prevented many gray hairs on my mom) to mitigate it. I developed my own strategies simply to survive in a world where people thought an acted differently than me.

I mention that because those two things became apparent when I started recording Emergence collective. One, my ADHD-frazzled brain hastily finished the book and only gave it a glancing review (Admittedly, I never actually read the book from start to finish after its completion). The first chapter has always bothered me. I knew the story I wanted to tell, but I did not know how or where to start, so I jumped in.

As I started to narrate for the audible recording, I realized how horrible that first chapter is (I know I am not really selling you on the book, it actually gets better, it just started rough) and now that I need to rewrite is eating me up.

What is your opinion on rewrites? Should I pull the trigger on rewriting the first chapter and a few other tiny things here and there and release a “second edition”? Or should I just try not to cringe too much and let it go?

Audible Update: A little less sucky.

So I managed to get chapter 2 recorded. I feel that my narration was a tad bit smoother, but I still need to work on the editing and cuts. I still have a constant cringe listening to it, and there are some pretty terrible cuts/edits in there. SO chapter 2 has no usable material for audible yet. I think there is a section that was muted part way through I am not sure what happened there. Its a journey. I feel confident that eventually, I might get the rhythm of it and actually produce something worth keeping. As far as the sound quality goes, I think some of it sounds better, but I am in the dark as to make it work better, I have ZERO experience with the software and pretty much anything that has to do with sound production, design, editing etc… so there is that.

As far as writing is concerned, as much as I wanted to, I didn’t get the opportunity to work on it. Sometimes you have to choose a battle or pick that hill to die on and my choice was recording. It pains me to keep this story in my head and not get any progress down on paper. I feel that there is always a lesson to learn and mine seems to be a re-occurring lesson of patience. Thanks for stopping by!

OOOPs In retrospect I realized I did not put the link. Be sure to follow my spotify page!

Audible update: Always somethin’

One of my favorite sayings, “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” is true too many times. Maybe that’s why I like it. It’s a reliable saying. After the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US, I had eager plans to do some good writing on Saturday and record on Sunday. Saturday came along, and to be honest, my hangover put a damper on the writing thing. I will not apologize for enjoying friends and family with libations, and I feel I paid enough penance for apologies.Sunday however, my day of recording (mostly because of the silence in the house on Sunday mornings) was derailed due to a windstorm. After reviewing my recording I heard an echo, in the recording that bothered me. The area I record at is just too open and the microphone is too sensitive. I bought some acoustic panels and built a little whisper booth to deaden the echo. However the wind outside blowing everything around and nearly tearing my canopy off the porch, I couldn’t get enough quiet to even start. So Thank you nature, I hate you too. So that’s that. update null. Stayed tuned as Chapter 2 will get recorded!

Audible update: Phase 2 engaged.

Just a quick update on the Audible front. As I mentioned in the previous Audible update, fate does love irony. The same sort of life issues that bogged down the voice actor from getting any recordings done has befallen me. Cold and flu are taking turns in my house, making everyone generally uncomfortable, and of course, the loss of a family friend is kind of an emotional speed bump. Last weekend was a complete loss (for writing and recording) as I maybe tried to pack in as much as I could, but somehow there wasn’t any room left for my creative inclinations. Sigh.

On Saturday, I went to a vending show to sell some of my laser cutting and engravings. I didn’t do too bad selling a few things, but more importantly, I met some great artists and very cool people. SIDE NOTE! To the person who was sharing with me, the video of the UFO that was seen over Everett, Please contact me, as I very much want to talk to you again! (Seriously, those videos were cool). Yeah, it was a great day, and I was in public, too (I am not sure if I should be allowed to interact with other humans, but hey I had fun….)

Lucky for me, these events don’t happen very often, so the time suck that vending is won’t be interfering with my future writing and recording. I did take some time during the workweek to youtube some tips and tricks of the trade of Audiobook narration. I learned the settings for my mic and got a rudimentary understanding of basic editing with Audacity. I am more prepared to record than I was before. Oddly I don’t feel as self-conscious as I thought, so the nerves should not be overwhelming and come out in my voice. I look forward to sharing my next recording with you if the gods allow it. As far as writing goes, my work in progress is inching along (Literally as it can be measured in inches on the page) I won’t reveal the embarrassing word count, but progress is progress.

Audible update. Fate loves irony

So as life goes, irony seems to pop up when least expected. I did manage to get my microphone. I had planned on using Saturday morning to play around and get the microphone set up. Give her a test drive and practice some reading. However, we had unexpected company, so my Saturday morning, the time I usually dedicate to writing, because everyone in the house is usually still sleeping. I tend to get up before everyone because I am used to getting up at 3:30 am, so when I sleep in, it’s usually till about 6 in the morning. Sunday also is a quiet time, but as I said, fate loves irony; this morning, I woke to my phone ringing, and I got the news that a close family friend had passed away overnight. We had recently had a windstorm, and She (at the age of 88) slipped on storm debris and broke her hip. Surgery was scheduled for some time today; however, during the night, there were some complications, and she did not make it.  

One day this project will happen. Anyway, I did get a few minutes to play with the recording. Getting sound levels set up and read most of the first chapter until my son decided to play call of duty zombies and volume. Such as life, right?

Audible update: the saga

Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, creeps in its petty pace from day to day…. Ok, So I’m not Shakespeare, but Macbeth had it right. In my case, it’s “Monday, Monday, Monday.” If you’ve been following along, I have been waiting on my narrator to (actually) narrate “Emergence Collective” for Audible. This project started about 2 months ago (or earlier, but I was waiting for the recording equipment to arrive.) Despite the enthusiasm of the voice actor, getting his break into the industry, I literally have zero seconds recorded. And me, well, I guess I am just a softy. I haven’t had the heart to fire him yet, He has had some life issues that popped up, illness in the family, and we just got some rain (Thank your chosen deity) that has quelled the forest-fire smoke (which is a pretty legitimate reason).

Monday hath come and gone. Monday is/was his chosen “Day to record.” I say was because now it’s Friday, or so is his promise to get “a Full knuckle down recording session.” I sincerely do hope that it is. I am torn between impatience and empathy since this project isn’t really important in the scheme of things. The world isn’t going to change one way or another if this gets recorded or not. I didn’t say so much in words that this is his last chance at it. but I hope he got the message from my frustration.

Emergence collective will get recorded one way or another. I can’t wait to share some audio with you all. Thanks for stopping by!