Well, I did it. I stood up in front of people and read my stories. So far I have done three. The first was an open mic and I read a story about a serial killer. Then a week or later I went to the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea and read ‘Oil and Water’ which has been published in The Lampeter Review. And then this last week gone I read ‘Fate’ at Dylan Thomas’s Boat House.
So after all that I can safely say that reading is the most terrifying part of writing, especially for a dyslexic. So I thought I’d put down some tips…
- First time don’t read more than 1000 words.
- Put your paper down so that when you start to shake no one will notice
- If you get a word or sentence wrong don’t worry, no one else will know
- Take your time
- Don’t forget to breathe! š
- Print the story in at least 14pt and an easy to read font.
- Double space the story
- Go over beforehand and put a comma where you want to take a breath.
So if you do all that all you will have to cope with are the nerves and this is where I can’t help. I don’t sleep before I do a reading.
Saying that though if you can read well then the opportunities you can get from just one reading are massive. So give it a go. There will be an open mic somewhere or a festival. I have found that reading is a part of the job of writing and getting published so to have some events on your CV is excellent. Just take your time and look up every now and then. š
Kate Murray - Cleaver 