Let Me Tell You A Story

Turning my stories into audio

As I noted in the afterword to my short story collection Nothing To See Here, I’ve always thought of my stories as things you listen to, not things you read to yourself. I originally wrote them as little performance pieces which I read aloud at my writers’ group, and I’ve found a narrative style which suits the idea of a storyteller talking to an unnamed listener.

Ever since I started writing them, I’ve been toying with the idea of recording them as short audiobooks. Each story would be maybe ten or fifteen minutes, perfect for listening to while you do the dishes, drive to the shops, put the laundry away, or wait for a pot of tea to brew.

This would make a great winter project. I could easily record and mix one a day, perhaps more, without taking up too much time. And if I recorded all the stories I’ve published so far, that would give me enough material for six months of weekly releases. Even if I release them all for free, I don’t think they’ll have a negative impact on book sales - and perhaps they would help.

I’ve already checked my audio set-up and I think it’s good to go. Fortunately, we live in a place where traffic and aircraft aren’t an issue, so I don’t have to worry about external noises. And the cats are both elderly and sleep all day, so they’re not going to be a problem either.

The main things I’m grappling with on the creative side are the questions of music and sound effects. Do I need intro and outro music? Do I need background music and effects, or should I just read the piece? The answer, of course, is to stop thinking and just record something. Try it with and without added sound and music and see whether it’s worth the extra work. Honestly, I probably won’t bother.

What I’m slowly coming to realize is that I’m far more interested in writing for audio than writing for the page. I have no idea where this is going to lead me, but I guess I’ll find out.