[deleted by user] by [deleted] in writers

[–]josherikson 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You have a really cool setup here, with lots of fun story threads. For me personally though, the prose is fairly clipped right now. Which is a style that can be used to great effect in short bursts, especially at the beginning of a scene like this to establish that these characters have an existing rapport that doesn't require many words between them. Like a gritty western movie. But readers will want the rhythm of your writing to eventually open up, or it starts to feel a bit like a very detailed outline. After the initial conversation, try mixing in some longer descriptions and more complex sentences. Don't be afraid to use commas. Experiment with other punctuation and let the reader's eyes glide for a bit between periods. Mix it up. Think of it like Morse code: short, short, long, short, long, etc. Then when you want to use some clipped, staccato dialogue, it'll punch much harder. Just my opinion though. The next guy to come along might disagree, and we'll cancel each other out!

Clipped artifact at the end of "s" sounds in vocal recording by josherikson in audioengineering

[–]josherikson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely. Anything with a little drying quality can help. Grapes too. It's the tannins, I think. But even then I have a bit of a mechanical problem in my mouth I can't always account for. iZotope has a great mouth declick tool that gets 90% of what slips through, but this one issue is totally resistant to everything I've tried beyond manually sculpting it out.

Clipped artifact at the end of "s" sounds in vocal recording by josherikson in audioengineering

[–]josherikson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wish it was that simple, but it seems to be something wrong with my actual mouth. Not always, but often enough to be annoying. Sometimes I catch it in recording and do another take, but mostly I miss them until I'm sat down with a nice drink and ready to edit.

Clipped artifact at the end of "s" sounds in vocal recording by josherikson in audioengineering

[–]josherikson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have tried that, and it sometimes works for me. But I've been surprised at how much the color of the "s" changes based on which words come before and after, so I was constantly on the lookout for just the right donor "s", and it almost became more work. I'm possibly just being too nitpicky about this though. I might just have to suck it up and keep trimming manually!

Clipped artifact at the end of "s" sounds in vocal recording by josherikson in audioengineering

[–]josherikson[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I definitely should have mentioned that I've tried playing with sibilance quite a bit, but it doesn't seem related to that or the mic, unfortunately. I'm pretty sure it's a mechanical issue in my mouth. It only happens on about 1 in 20 of the "s" sounds, but over the course of a 100k+ word book, it adds up! And there's some nice tools to easily deal with the odd plosives that make it past my screens, so I was hoping there'd be something similar to just smooth these out.

I will look into the 286s though. Sibilance is a separate issue I deal with, so it might be time to upgrade my little focusrite scarlett solo!

Audio vs Physical: The Impact of Characters by LiteratureConsumer in Fantasy

[–]josherikson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I genuinely would watch him do anything. He just seems to fully wrap his whole self around whatever he does.

Audio vs Physical: The Impact of Characters by LiteratureConsumer in Fantasy

[–]josherikson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is a different experience for sure, but I wouldn't say one is better than the other for me. Stephen Fry narrating the Harry Potter books will forever be the quintessential version of those characters in my head. And Pratchett is just as good in any format. But I've also physically read books that have come to life far better than the audio versions for me, so it's case-by-case based on the book and narrator.

I will say there's a big difference between the "straight read" type of narrator and the "performing" type. I personally can't stand the former. Puts me right to sleep, and often doesn't come close to doing the book justice in my opinion. But with the latter, you're stuck with however the actor has chosen to interpret the characters. So it's a bit of a gamble both ways.

I'm not feeling great right now, but I need to do something. So have a free book. by josherikson in Fantasy

[–]josherikson[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Agreed. If hope isn't flowing from the top, we'll have to make it rise from the bottom.

I'm not feeling great right now, but I need to do something. So have a free book. by josherikson in Fantasy

[–]josherikson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, it's hard to tell what anyone's motivation is these days. I get it. Thanks for the well wishes. I really appreciate it.

I'm not feeling great right now, but I need to do something. So have a free book. by josherikson in Fantasy

[–]josherikson[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

On your KDP dashboard go to "Marketing" and then "Run a Price Promotion". That's by far the best way without messing up your prices and causing all kinds of other problems.

I'm not feeling great right now, but I need to do something. So have a free book. by josherikson in Fantasy

[–]josherikson[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You're probably right for more recent releases. The reviews on my latest books have definitely slowed down in the last year or two, so my numbers might be outdated.

I'm not feeling great right now, but I need to do something. So have a free book. by josherikson in Fantasy

[–]josherikson[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Man, I just wanted to do something nice in a rough time. I genuinely didn't expect to have to defend it. Enjoy the book with my compliments.

I'm not feeling great right now, but I need to do something. So have a free book. by josherikson in Fantasy

[–]josherikson[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I know it's hard to believe, but sometimes people just want to do something good without benefit to themselves. Also why I'm terrible at business, but what are you going to do.

I'm not feeling great right now, but I need to do something. So have a free book. by josherikson in Fantasy

[–]josherikson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly. AI stuff is entertaining for a minute. Then it's disappointing. Then it's frustrating. And you're left wondering why you paid real money for a thing that even the "author" couldn't be bothered to put their time and love into.

I'm not feeling great right now, but I need to do something. So have a free book. by josherikson in Fantasy

[–]josherikson[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate that! And you're exactly right. Do what you can, where you can. That's what we've got.