Telling my story out loud!

I can’t believe it was over a week ago that I travelled to Monkeynut recording studio in Hampshire to record my first audio book.

It is not the first time I have been in a studio. My Library Studies degree included a media option where we received hands-on experience with all manner of recording and editing. I would often opt to be in front of the camera and I’m perfectly happy with a microphone listening to the sound of my own voice.

Maybe you need some narcissistic tendencies to do this, or just a belief that what you have to say will be interesting and helpful.

In the back of my mind, I was thinking of an older friend who posted on Facebook she finds it difficult to read much these days and would my book be recorded as she would like to listen to my story. This also helped me remember an old piece of advice when presenting on radio – imagine you are just speaking to one person. So, Margaret, this was very much recorded with you in mind.

I’m not sure I ever believed this would happen, but when the chance presented itself, I knew it was something I wanted to invest in, it’s not cheap, but I’m not an author for the money. I want my words out there in whatever form possible, hopefully helping others who have had similar experiences.

Elliott Frisby, owner of Monkeynut, and my producer for the day, came out with an interesting comment when we stopped for lunch, soup, fresh bread and Lurpak butter (other brands are available).

“I always think Lurpak is something you have at Christmas because it’s special. A bit like recording an audiobook.”

found on Facebook - in Otter News

It’s certainly not something you do every day, unless you work in the industry doing voiceover work. If publishing your words is the icing on the cake, then recording them is the cherry on the top.

The process is simply reading, with expression.

You read from an iPad and just scroll at your own speed. The beauty of my book is that most of the time one of my short stories fitted completely on the screen. I knew when I could take a larger pause, then I'd scroll to the next one and compose myself again. 

Elliott told me to put myself back in time to remember how I was feeling at each stage so I wasn’t just reading but taking the listener on an emotional journey.

For me this was a really interesting part of the process. Each story stirred up so much and I tried to relive as much as I could. The breathlessness of “Sleepless” – the first night without Andrew. The joy of having our first son just before Christmas and the twinkling tree lights making everything magical. The horror of youngest son when I took a pair of scissors to his dad’s sweatshirt which I was recycling  into a bag.

I could see every scene playing out in my mind, taste each mouthful of food I mentioned, touch the coldness of Andrew’s dead body, hear the laughter as we watched the fireworks with friends and smell the soup in our mugs. Maybe I’m just blessed with a vivid imagination, but I really hope I have managed to convey all these senses in the recording.

“How many mistakes did you make?” some friends have asked, as if a mistake is a huge tragedy.

It really isn’t. Elliott would just interrupt the proceedings, “can we go back to…”

I would just repeat that one sentence, without fuss or any fear I’d jeopardised the whole project.

Often, I knew the issue - a rumbly tummy, a slight hesitation or mispronunciation. These things are easy to edit out – going back to my student days we used reel to reel tape which we cut with razor blades and spliced with tape, a time-consuming process. Digital recording is much simpler, or at least I assume it is, I’m leaving all of that in the hands of the professionals.

So now it’s a waiting game as the production work is done behind the scenes.

Now the day is a memory to write about, something to cherish, an opportunity too good to miss.

I guess now I have to write another book, because I really do want to do this again. But nothing will beat this FIRST time, because my story is so personal.

Thanks to Elliott at Monkeynut for making the whole day so much fun too. And when I recorded the freestyle bit and you called my “one take wonder!” that really made my day as my confidence soared.

 

As an aside, once I’d finished recording there was time to visit Romsey Abbey. Inside is the Florence Nightingale window, which depicts her being called by God.

Telling my story is what I believe God has called me to do and I felt a sense that this beautiful piece of artwork confirmed that.

Then I walked outside into the drizzle to marvel at the wild flowers. From the rainbow I saw a few days before Andrew died until now, God is always reminding me of his goodness, adding a sprinkling of glitter. I felt blessed and I pray this new telling of my story blesses others in ways I cannot even begin to imagine.