Idea for Cons: VARS

[dsrtao]

I just got back from Boskone.

One of my favorite categories of things at cons is the author reading. But authors are selected for being good at writing: characterization, plot, setting, mood, and so forth... and not for public performance of their works. There are also cases of colds, laryngitis, tonsilitis, and probably stage fright.

Let me propose this: the Volunteer Author's Readers Society (VARS), which will be composed of people who have some experience and at least a tiny bit of talent for reading out loud. VARS will offer its services to concoms, who, at author's request, will schedule a VAR to do a reading for the author.

The author sends the excerpt to the VAR at least a few days (or in emergencies, minutes) before the con, and at the scheduled time, gets up, says what they want to say about the book, and sits back down, letting the VAR go ahead and read aloud for them. Then the author gets back up and answers questions and so forth.

It would be helpful if the author were to provide notes on the characters, and of course for the VARS to be fans of the author, but it's really not necessary.

Has this been tried before?

Comments

[jbsegal.livejournal.com]

I'd be totally up for this as a reader. :)

[cellio]

I like that idea a lot.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

I suppose there would be some minimum amount of vetting by other members, so that someone doesn't join who can't read well?

[dsrtao]

Eliz suggests that prospective readers put a 1 minute audio clip up on a centralized website; the clip should be:

- something that the reader likes
- include exposition
- include description
- include dialogue from at least two characters

and then have the authors mention their preferences.

[slrose.livejournal.com]

I missed you at the con then.

Considering that there are a limited number of reading slots available, I would think that most con committees would frown on something that would increase the demand for this limited resource.

[dsrtao]

I'm the very tall big galoot with long dark hair who often sits in the front row of panels and makes devastatingly insightful comments.

(I'm being optimistic about the last one.)

[dsrtao]

And this is a reasonably accurate face shot.

[slrose.livejournal.com]

Well, you do look vaguely familiar.

I was sitting in the front row at the panels I was at; I was wearing a black tshirt and a blue cloak.

[jenwrites.livejournal.com]

Lyda Morehouse has a word she can't pronounce reliably, and she has a stunt reader stand next to her and read that word when she gets to it. That's the closest I've ever seen to that.

Mind you, I don't need a stunt reader :)

[dsrtao]

No, you don't. Unless you had laryngitis...

Idea for Cons: VARS

[sareena99.livejournal.com]

If only somebody had suggested this idea to the poet who read her piece at the Obama innauguration!
Of course that would not have improved her writing, but hey, that is a different post.

Re: Idea for Cons: VARS

[jducoeur]

Actually, I thought it was a pretty good poem -- if read properly. But I agree that I just wanted to reach through the screen, nudge her aside, and take over the reading myself. As she was saying it, I was replaying in my head what it *should* have sounded like...

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

What about team reading? Or am I getting too complex?

It also occurs to me a designated reader for making podcasts would be interesting. For a while it was fashionable for writers to self-record, but some just aren't very good at delivering...

[dsrtao]

Team reading seems superfluous. The typical con reading is a 30 minute session, of which 2-3 minutes is setup and 3-10 minutes is Q&A time. 25 minutes of reading aloud, properly projecting, is pretty easy. No need to trade off.

Now, a staged reading with multiple voice actors for multiple parts is cool, but probably won't fit into the time allotted. And podcasts and audio plays are a whole 'nother ball of string, as you know.

[jducoeur]

Sounds like a lot of fun to me, but I don't know how many authors would go for it. Keep in mind that many people who are bad at reading don't *know* that they're bad at it...

[dsrtao]

I'm not going to suggest it to them, either. But hopefully some other author will nudge them and say "you know, they did a good job for me, you ought to try it".