Yesterday I printed out loose stack of 346 pages, and this morning I bought some 2-inch binder clips that turned it into a galley copy of Extreme Makeover, one of the two books I’m edging towards publication. I needed to read it, aloud, to scare out some of the minor glitches that were sure to be there in formatting and typo’s.
I have been reluctant to read whole novels aloud. It’s a huge investment in time and sore throat muscles. Maybe some people can talk non-stop for hours on end, but I’m not one of them. But, it needed to be done.
So, come lunch time, it occurred to me that I could do my reading in the park. The weather was nice, if a little gusty. And, hey, I might collect a new reader.
As that thought gained traction, I printed a little banner with the cover art and the text, “Yes, I am reading my novel due in June.” and bought a burger and drink and parked myself in the Pflugerville park and started reading, aloud.
And barely half-way into chapter one, I had one brave soul stop by on her run to listen awhile and look at chapter titles. She left with a business card and I kept on reading. My voice lasted about an hour an a half, and I think I’ll do it again, once it feels normal. While I didn’t find any great errors in the 58 pages I read, I made numerous corrections to ease the flow.
Next time, I think I’ll find a park bench where other people can stop and listen. Look to my twitter for times and locations.