Pod_Aware Week - Day 1
Podfic: It's an audio recording of a fanfic, like an audiobook, how awesome is that? Fans from all over put their voices out there so you can enjoy fanfic on the go or just in a different way. To find out more about podfic, why we do it and how to get started, check out 
pod_aware on LJ or DW.
Day 1: Podfic 101/Why We Podfic
Day 2: Blanket Permission
Day 3: Author/Podficcer Relationships
Day 4: Accents
Day 5: Feedback
Day 6: Repodding
Day 7: Encouraging Podfic
I'll be participating in
pod_aware all this week! We're getting into the time of year where I don't have a lot of time to actually create podfic, but as a thing that's near and dear to my heart, I wanted to contribute somehow. So I'll be making discussion posts every day this week and I'll also be appearing in the
pod_aware podcast a couple times.
So, why podfic? It seems like podfic and audiobooks in general either click for a person or not. If podfic doesn't click for you, that's just fine, but for me, podfic is both fun and useful.
I've discussed it before in my journal, but I can't properly remember the reason I started podficcing. It just seemed like the thing to do. If I could take an audiobook around with me, then why not a fanfic version as well? A while back,
blacksquirrel and I decided that we had the technology and that we should just record a reading of a fic we both liked intensely. We never finished it (my fault), but it was an experiment more than anything. I didn't even know if there were other people doing it at the time. It wasn't until years later that I started sharing podfic I'd recorded online.
Listening to podfic is always a joy. It makes my workday and commute go faster. It helps me fall asleep at night. I can multitask when listening to it. It lets me take my favorite stories everywhere I go, especially when I am travelling. It helps me keep up with fandoms when I have a particularly busy schedule and can't find the time to sit down and read the fic that I want to. And since recording podfic is usually a fairly significant undertaking, it's a safe bet that anything that's available comes with a strong recommendation from the reader.
Aside from the time saving benefits of podfic, I love hearing all the different voices out there. It makes me realize how big fandom really is. I listen to Brits, Australians, Canadians, and people from all other corners of the world. It continually surprises me how many French readers there are! What's more is that I know there are people all over the place listening to my voice too.
Podfic brings an extra dimension to stories too. It's a performance and it's fantastic to hear all the different interpretations that a reader can take. A simple inflection on the right sentence can enrich the text or make you look at a scene differently. In some ways it can even make me feel more connected to a story, to hear it read by a person.
There's also the accessibility factor, of course. I think it's fair to say most people would prefer to listen to a real person over a screen reader. And it never occurred to me until I heard bessyboo mention it on the
pod_aware podcast, but podfic can also be a big help to fans with learning disabilities that make reading large amounts of text difficult.
So if you're down with listening to podfic already, why should you take up the recording process? For all the reasons above and because of what a fantastic, supportive community it is. The more voices, the more stories, the more versions, the more listeners, the merrier! Don't be intimidated by it because no matter what you think about your voice or performance, I promise you that there will be someone out there who is thrilled to utter pieces that you recorded it.
Case in point: Over the weekend, I was doing some catching up on recent posts to
amplificathon. I ran one by
adistantsun for a recording of Magic Words, the first part in
rageprufrock's Levity series. I had a complete giddy freakout because I love Pru's writing and, for as much podfic as there is in the world, very little of it is for Sirius/Remus. Believe me when I say that I have listened to it all multiple times over. Every one of them has a permanent place on my mp3 player. So I left
adistantsun a comment expressing my complete joy and excitement.
It's one of the best I've heard for the pairing too.
adistantsun has a fantastic command of character voices. I adore her petulant Sirius, her put-upon Remus, and even her nervous/skittish Peter. Her narration has so much brevity. If it isn't obvious already, this is a rec. If you have any love for S/R in your heart, run don't walk to it!
Anyway, she replied and mentioned that she had actually been avoiding HP fandom for a long time, but it was the recording of Stealing Harry that I posted back in 2009 that ultimately tempted her over. I'm still completely bowled over by this admission. Stealing Harry was the first podfic I ever made publicly available and I very nearly didn't do it. But if I had never put Stealing Harry out there, I never would have had the opportunity to hear
adistantsun's reading of Magic Words. And that would have been tragic indeed.
The moral of the story is that even though you may not realize it, the podfic you put out there is valuable in all kinds of unpredictable ways. What you give in this community, you get back in spades. Whether that's through recording podfic yourself, making podbooks or cover art, or simply commenting back to a reader that you enjoyed their work.
In short: If you like podfic, we want you here and will welcome you with open arms.
Happy pod_aware week. ♥
Originally posted at http://revolutionaryjo.dreamwidth.org/563112.html. Comments prefered there, but not required!
pod_aware on LJ or DW.
Day 1: Podfic 101/Why We Podfic
Day 2: Blanket Permission
Day 3: Author/Podficcer Relationships
Day 4: Accents
Day 5: Feedback
Day 6: Repodding
Day 7: Encouraging Podfic
I'll be participating in
pod_aware all this week! We're getting into the time of year where I don't have a lot of time to actually create podfic, but as a thing that's near and dear to my heart, I wanted to contribute somehow. So I'll be making discussion posts every day this week and I'll also be appearing in the
pod_aware podcast a couple times.
So, why podfic? It seems like podfic and audiobooks in general either click for a person or not. If podfic doesn't click for you, that's just fine, but for me, podfic is both fun and useful.
I've discussed it before in my journal, but I can't properly remember the reason I started podficcing. It just seemed like the thing to do. If I could take an audiobook around with me, then why not a fanfic version as well? A while back,
blacksquirrel and I decided that we had the technology and that we should just record a reading of a fic we both liked intensely. We never finished it (my fault), but it was an experiment more than anything. I didn't even know if there were other people doing it at the time. It wasn't until years later that I started sharing podfic I'd recorded online.
Listening to podfic is always a joy. It makes my workday and commute go faster. It helps me fall asleep at night. I can multitask when listening to it. It lets me take my favorite stories everywhere I go, especially when I am travelling. It helps me keep up with fandoms when I have a particularly busy schedule and can't find the time to sit down and read the fic that I want to. And since recording podfic is usually a fairly significant undertaking, it's a safe bet that anything that's available comes with a strong recommendation from the reader.
Aside from the time saving benefits of podfic, I love hearing all the different voices out there. It makes me realize how big fandom really is. I listen to Brits, Australians, Canadians, and people from all other corners of the world. It continually surprises me how many French readers there are! What's more is that I know there are people all over the place listening to my voice too.
Podfic brings an extra dimension to stories too. It's a performance and it's fantastic to hear all the different interpretations that a reader can take. A simple inflection on the right sentence can enrich the text or make you look at a scene differently. In some ways it can even make me feel more connected to a story, to hear it read by a person.
There's also the accessibility factor, of course. I think it's fair to say most people would prefer to listen to a real person over a screen reader. And it never occurred to me until I heard bessyboo mention it on the
pod_aware podcast, but podfic can also be a big help to fans with learning disabilities that make reading large amounts of text difficult.
So if you're down with listening to podfic already, why should you take up the recording process? For all the reasons above and because of what a fantastic, supportive community it is. The more voices, the more stories, the more versions, the more listeners, the merrier! Don't be intimidated by it because no matter what you think about your voice or performance, I promise you that there will be someone out there who is thrilled to utter pieces that you recorded it.
Case in point: Over the weekend, I was doing some catching up on recent posts to
amplificathon. I ran one by
adistantsun for a recording of Magic Words, the first part in
rageprufrock's Levity series. I had a complete giddy freakout because I love Pru's writing and, for as much podfic as there is in the world, very little of it is for Sirius/Remus. Believe me when I say that I have listened to it all multiple times over. Every one of them has a permanent place on my mp3 player. So I left
adistantsun a comment expressing my complete joy and excitement.
It's one of the best I've heard for the pairing too.
adistantsun has a fantastic command of character voices. I adore her petulant Sirius, her put-upon Remus, and even her nervous/skittish Peter. Her narration has so much brevity. If it isn't obvious already, this is a rec. If you have any love for S/R in your heart, run don't walk to it!
Anyway, she replied and mentioned that she had actually been avoiding HP fandom for a long time, but it was the recording of Stealing Harry that I posted back in 2009 that ultimately tempted her over. I'm still completely bowled over by this admission. Stealing Harry was the first podfic I ever made publicly available and I very nearly didn't do it. But if I had never put Stealing Harry out there, I never would have had the opportunity to hear
adistantsun's reading of Magic Words. And that would have been tragic indeed.
The moral of the story is that even though you may not realize it, the podfic you put out there is valuable in all kinds of unpredictable ways. What you give in this community, you get back in spades. Whether that's through recording podfic yourself, making podbooks or cover art, or simply commenting back to a reader that you enjoyed their work.
In short: If you like podfic, we want you here and will welcome you with open arms.
Happy pod_aware week. ♥
Originally posted at http://revolutionaryjo.dreamwidth.org/563112.html. Comments prefered there, but not required!