I’m teaching a workshop at Orycon on reading aloud. How does this text sound as a blurb? You may be a good writer, but reading aloud is a separate skill. In this workshop, learn to make your words sound as great out loud as they do on the page. Using both demonstration and audience participation, […]
I’ve had time to cook lately, which has been a nice change of pace. Last night I made a Espresso Black Bean Chili that I’d discovered when I was staying with my folks at Woodthrush Woods. I really like this recipe, although I cut it in half and still have more chili than makes sense.
Adding Injury to Insult Read More »
Apparently this happens every year, because it happened when I worked here two years ago. After we wrapped, everyone went to Magnus’s house for a party and then on to the Studmenn concert. Last time I had been here for a week and a half so I was still fairly dazed. This time, I was
Cross-gender voices are a tricky business. Even if you can really do a convincing cross-gender voice–and I know folks who can–the fact is that in a live reading, people know there’s one person doing all the voices. There are two ways cross-gender voices can throw people out of listening. It’s really bad, and embarrassing, or
Reading Aloud 4: Cross-gender voices Read More »
Look! Now you can take the Advanced Southern Accent Test I scored 43%, “barely out of Dixie” when I answered the way I say things. When I answer the way I hear things back home, then I score 100% Dixie. Rob is 6% Dixie.
Are You a Yankee or a Rebel? – Advanced Southern Accent Test Read More »
Narrating is at once the easiest part of reading aloud and the hardest. It is the easiest because you don’t have to worry about character voice or distinction–or do you? You do. That’s why it’s one of the hardest parts. The narrator is a character in your story and is the one that needs to
Reading Aloud 3: Narrating Read More »
The human voice is very flexible and we’ll look at the ways you can manipulate it. Remember though, that the voice uses muscle and you can strain it just as easily as an ankle. Pay attention and stop if anything hurts. Your basic tools are Pitch, Placement, Pacing, Accent and Attitude. Pitch is fairly self-explanatory.
Reading Aloud 2: Character voices Read More »
3d-printers I just saw this article about 3-d printers, which is like SF happening right now. I’ve seen a few things printed out by a 3-d printer, but I had no idea that the technology was becoming as accessible as it is. This is amazing stuff. One of the applications that they are talking about
3d printers reshape world of copying Read More »
I made this for dinner tonight. It was easy and tasty. MISO-GLAZED EGGPLANT Recipe at Epicurious.com Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 25 min 6 tablespoons shiro miso* (white fermented soybean paste) 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned) 1 1/2 tablespoons water 3 3/4 teaspoons sugar 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger 2
MISO-GLAZED EGGPLANT Recipe at Epicurious.com Read More »
Sometime in the last week it started getting dark at night again. Last night I slept without an eye cozy for the first time (excluding my trip to Boston) for months. I still haven’t started seeing stars again, but seeing dark outside our windows keeps surprising me.
We climbed part way up Esja today. On the way back down, Steve saw a side path and said, “Why don’t we go back down that way?” “Okay. But you know it’ll hit a point where it goes straight down,” I said. Steve got a wicked grin and said, “Great.” So down we went. At
I wrote this post a couple of months ago, but didn’t publish it because the episode had not been released yet. Now that it’s shown in the U.K…. but don’t worry. There are still no plot spoilers. — After we wrapped today, everyone trooped upstairs to watch Haunted Castle. It was so long ago that
Post delayed screening Read More »
What a day, what a day. Julie normally does the live hands for Jodi, but she wasn’t in today because it didn’t look like he’d need live hands. And then…it started as a simple thing. Can the puppet tap his finger against his head? It looked bad with rods, and Jodi had to enter the
Right. I’ve spent the last two days trying to find an appropriate image for Shimmer‘s Autumn 2006 cover. After looking at hundreds of pieces of art, I would like to know why it is so difficult to find a winged woman who is not a) nude b) carrying a sword c) nude AND carrying a
David Goldman pointed out this short film, Draw the Pirate. It has no connection to Shimmer‘s Pirate issue. Really. You’ve got to admire the fact that the film makers tell a complete story with no spoken words at all.