As a writer, I feel giving a reading of my work is imperative, yet I’m not completely comfortable with it.
The two worlds are extreme: being on stage reading my work, and being backstage writing alone.
I wonder how other writers do this; what does it take to give a quality reading?
I have climbed the stage on many occasions willingly, not always understanding the relationship between myself and the audience.
During one reading, I felt intimidated by the numerous eyes looking at me, and to mask that intimidation, I made the mistake of coming off cocky. I was fortunate to have an audience member approach me honestly after my performance and tell me that. Hearing it made me cringe, but what I took way was a lesson.
Understanding your audience is invaluable; audiences change depending on the venue, the region, the location, the age, the gender and so many other factors. They come to the performance not necessarily to hear me specifically, but to be entertained, to hear creativity flow out with ease, to hear something new, to laugh, to cry, to take something away. There can be a number of different reasons why the audience has attended the performance.
To learn this craft, I watch others read during their performances and how they connect with their audiences. I have noted others admit with honesty their discomfort while creating laughter. This not only helps the person who is up on stage, but the audience members as well; they rest more comfortably in their seats, waiting for the words to bring them into another world.
This active engagement with the audience is my dream.
I haven’t mastered my performance yet, trying to enjoy the alien world that’s opposite of my secluded authorial one, but…
As my anxiety eases and I look up into the audience’s eyes from the stage, I feel humbled and honored. I want to deliver to the audience the pleasure of my words, of my story, and hope they appreciate what I have written and how I read it, so they will continue to return for their listening pleasure.
There is an art to giving a reading. Listen to Neil Gaiman read from his novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, featured in the Poets and Writers Magazine podcast.