Tap, Tap - Is this Thing On?

 So, I did a thing. I recorded an audiobook version of Ten Dysfunctions of My Teams. Long ago, I used to say that if you worked at Disney long enough, you'd know people in all parks, resorts, and disciplines all across the world. Turns out, if you just live long enough, you can build a friend list across all sorts of industries - people who have channeled their talents and passions in directions that spread out like a creative circulatory system of the planet. 

It turns out that one of them is now a professional voice actor with his own studio.

A normal person would have stopped there, I suppose, turning the words over to the pro, but that's not how it plays out. After some encouragement, I agreed to narrated the stories myself. Who knows them better than I do? Of course, I was gripped with anxiety about this, but Paul talked me through the process, helped me to select a decent microphone, and set up our sessions so that I could record from my own office while connected to his studio over the internet.

It took a while. Turns out I can read two stories out loud before I get crackly and fuzzy-headed. I made plenty of errors. Each time, Paul stopped me, took out the bad section and told me where to pick it up again. We worked in blocks of an hour to 90 minutes or so, either recording two stories or three, until all ten were done. I learned a few things:

1. Don't drink cold (especially iced) drinks. Turns out this is bad for the vocal cords.

2. Don't drink hot liquids, like coffee, which honestly would have been my inclination. A nice hot cup o' joe feels like it clears my throat and my head. And the caffeine...well, yeah. Also bad. 

3. Carbonated drinks are not good either - burping. Back in my Disney days, when the energy flagged and I needed to push through gangster or bandit shifts at The Great Movie Ride (#onceamovierider) I went for an icy cold Vanilla Coke - full sugar. The combination got me through many a ten hour day of theatrical tour vehicle hijacking and forbidden jewel stealing.

4. Room temperature water. Boring, but it's what's for dinner.

I also learned that I am not a good talker/breather when those two things have to happen together. I was out of breath a lot. It seems that I was taking in a big breath and talking for as longs as I had air. Like a freediver, only for no good reason. I still don't really get how to balance my breath with a "natural speaking voice" when I'm the only one talking. 

So, obviously, I decided to try podcasting.

What do I know about this? Not a thing, but I did get myself a new book, Audio for Authors, by Joanna Penn. It arrived today, so I'm hopeful that I will pick up a few things.

Stay tuned! I think my first podcast will be about the journey of recording my first audiobook. You'll be able to hear what I mean, and I hope to ask some people who know all about this to provide some guidance in case any of you decide to dabble with recording your stories.

Because of the whole living a long time thing, I have many in my network who have plenty of performance experience, theater, music, public speaking, and so on. If you have advice, please share!

New year, same four walls - but a cool, new breeze blows through

 I, like much of America, watched the Inauguration with part of my psyche clenched in anticipation of something terrible that might happen in spite of the precautions, the extra security, the relentless press coverage. In spite of this ball of anxiety, I enjoyed Lady Gaga, JLo, even the fashionable outfits - all the beautiful trappings of ceremony conducted with grace. I teared up at Kamala Harris's oath and Senator Klobuchar's words, and I chuckled at Bernie's now infamous mittens. I started to breathe easier when President Biden made his first address as #46. But is was when a small woman, shining in yellow and red stepped up and began to speak, accentuating her words with flowing hands like a dancer, that the clouds parted and the sun shone brightly to burn away the last four years.

Her name - Amanda Gorman. Her words - magic. 

You can see her read The Hills We Climb here.

From the New York Times:

22-year-old National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman recites poem at President Biden's inauguration, "the new dawn blooms as we free it for there is always light if only we're brave enough to see it, if only we're brave enough to be it."Jan. 20, 2021

 

Not since Maya Angelou have I been so moved by poetry, spoken so eloquently after such a long and parched year defined by its isolation, division, fear, and defiance of reason and civility. I begin to hope that we will be all right after all.

2021 seems a cautiously optimistic time. A few updates:

I have a new website: https://www.carolyneichhorn.com/  

Here you can find latest publications and other news. I'm taking a short pause with my fiction to work on a nonfiction project with talented colleagues - stay tuned for more soon on that project.

I'm taking a three day virtual course with Alison Gaylin on thriller writing soon with the Center for Fiction- I'll be sure to share about that, too.

Stay safe, all - until the vaccine comes and we can gather again. Until then, I virtually toast in the new year with you.