My voice is soft, and higher than I’d like to admit. I have to struggle to be heard. I have to repeat myself a lot. If I’m asked to read aloud or speak in front of a group, I blush and stammer. When I get stuck on a word, I snap my fingers to move my tongue forward. I’m not a stutterer, I’m just not used to talking. But I love to listen.
I’ve been writing poetry more often lately. Expressing myself is short, succinct lines. Boiling it all down until I’m left with bare bones. With the simplest, clearest version of my feelings. But it is poetry, so maybe it still doesn’t make sense to anyone but me. I’ve been listening to poets on YouTube lately. A gentle soul with OCD, who fell in love. A Canadian with a huge heart and a lot of pain. Their words, the rhythm of their delivery. It speaks to me.
I went to listen to and meet some big name fantasy authors last night, and they read aloud from their books. Giving their characters voices and expressions. Letting us hear how They think the characters sound. Doing the voices just like you would for your child. And we were all like children, looking up at them, smiling, laughing and begging for more. It was wonderful. To hear their passion in their words.
Music. I’ve always loved music. Listening to the words, the stories, the joys and the pains, set to instruments that move our bodies and our souls. I cannot imagine movies without music, the rising tempo that sets our hearts beating, the eerie music that holds us on edge, the heroic swells in battle. Music to scene to, to set the tempo of a beating, or the glide of your hand, to help you soar into the sky or down into your own body. Wherever you are, music helps set the mood.
I’ve thought about doing audio recordings of erotica from time to time. The Audio Erotica website appears to have disappeared at this point, though. And see above, my voice is rather soft and high. I know videos and pictures are popular, but did AE disappear because people just weren’t interested in audio books, or for other reasons? Smart ass just ran off giggling with the thought of the Siri voice reading erotica. Oh dear.
I like to listen, do you?
