​When you read your fiction in public, you need the same skills as someone giving a sales presentation — proper breathing, vocalization, posture, etc. But fiction authors need an additional skill: acting before a live audience. Actors spend their entire careers honing the tools of their craft just as authors hone theirs. But when authors stand before a crowd to read fiction, they need some of the actor's artistry. In The Author Acts, we examine what the author needs to turn a reading into a Broadway play and how to give their written words the best opening night possible.

Introduction

 

What We Will Cover​​

• The Three Voices — Author, Narrator, Characters. When reading fiction for an audience, we must master the different voices in the narrative and perform them — not merely read them.

• The Reading as a Three-Act Play — Lead your audience through your performance with a beginning, middle, and end.

• On Preparation and Practice — These are all skills to be learned and polished, and nothing beats preparation and practice to deliver a memorable reading.

 

What We Will Not Cover (see resource references at the end):​​

• Basic Public Speaking Skills — (managing anxiety, posture, breathing, pronunciation, etc.)

• Presentation Tools and Techniques — (visual aids, clothing, grooming, personal style, etc.)

• Speaking with Amplification — (managing a microphone, PA mechanics, etc.)

 

Dispelling Myths About Public Readings

• Only Extroverts Can Speak — People with introverted personalities have been some of our most beloved performers. No matter how you interact with the world, you can gain the skills and confidence to become an effective public speaker and actor.

• Presentation Doesn’t Matter — Simply reading the text is not enough to give audiences an enjoyable experience. The text can carry the day when in the hands of a reader, but in a live setting, people need a performance.

• I Can Just Be Myself — When you stand before a crowd you are inherently claiming the role of performer. Your everyday personality is not enough. You need to embrace the role and become the performer the audience expects and deserves.

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The Three Voices — Author, Narrator, Character

Giving a fiction reading is an acting performance. While this is true of any public presentation, the techniques of stage acting are particularly valuable to your success as a reader of your stories. Acting calls for a great deal more learning and practice than what you will do to prepare for a reading. But learning the core principles and techniques of acting will serve you well when reading your fiction in a public setting.

 

The primary function of an actor is to portray a character. An actor strives to know their character deeply and to embody that character – to inhabit their body – so that their every movement and word expresses the soul of the character. You have an advantage over other actors — you already know your characters intimately. Use this advantage to portray them faithfully.

 

During a fiction reading, you are called upon to embody three distinct characters:

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• The Author — This is not just you, the person chatting with friends over coffee. This is you as the representative of your work, as its champion, who will take charge and lead the reading. The Author introduces the other characters and manages the content and cadence of the performance.

• The Narrator — This is the storyteller, who might be you, but again is not the everyday you. Every word you read that is not spoken or thought of by a character in the story springs from The Narrator. You need to perform the storyteller’s role as convincingly as any other character.

• The Characters — These are the voices of the people whose words and thoughts and actions are directly quoted in your story. Each character is unique, just as every person is unique, and you need to portray each character as a unique person and make them real for your audience.

 

The Author

When you are called up to read, you step onto a stage and implicitly claim that you will be performing. The first character you must portray is the Author, the person whose name is on the cover of the book. But the Author who takes the stage is not the author who sat alone for hour after hour drafting the story, editing it and working to publish it. The Author in this context is the emcee of your own micro event, and as such must capture attention and direct it where it should go.

 

Your own personality will shine through, of course, but it needs to be enhanced and amplified. No one comes to a reading to hear a person like themselves read words from a page — they come to be excited and inspired, to laugh or cry, to be thrilled or frightened. When speaking as the Author, you first promise an exceptional performance, then introduce it, then step aside.

 

The voice of the Author need not be overdone or overacted. But you should avoid the common idea that you can just “be yourself.” The Author is as much of a character as any you portray in your book.

 

The Narrator

The Author introduces the next character, the Narrator, then steps aside for the reading. The voice of the Narrator is that of your storyteller, and while this voice comes from you, it is not you. It is the primary character of the story and will have its own voice.

 

Whether your story is written in first, second, or third person, that person is a central character. But unlike all the other characters, everything this central character says and thinks that is not direct dialogue is the voice of the Narrator. All description of scene, character, and action — everything not spoken or thought by a character — comes from the Narrator and must be performed with the unique voice of this central character.

 

When you authored the story you had a voice in mind for this all-important part. Reading this part offers you the first chance to use an advantage not available to an actor reading the words of another: You know the voice you are portraying intimately. You wrote it with that voice in your head! An actor must interpret the playwright’s intention for their character. But knowing your own text and its themes and tone and tenor so deeply gives you that knowledge before you ever step up to read. Use that knowledge to create and perform the Narrator’s unique voice and lead your listeners through the story.

 

The Characters

When you read dialogue, you are acting the part of each character, and must bring each character to life. Here you again have the advantage of knowing your characters deeply because you wrote them. You have their inner life, their speech and behavior patterns, already worked out, and can portray them as you want the audience to experience them.

 

As with the Narrator, you don’t need to overact or exaggerate your various Characters’ speech and manner. But you do want to portray them faithfully in their personality and give your audience the feel of how each is unique. Your text will accomplish most of this because you will have given life to your characters in their vocal style, word choice and behaviors. Take that beginning and apply the techniques of acting to how you read the lines. Performing the slightest hint of an accent, or how the character stands and gestures, goes a long way toward making your reading an exciting performance.

 

A challenge arises when you read two or more characters having a dialog. You need to switch between vocal and behavior styles quickly, and often you will need to switch to the Narrator (as in: “I told you to get out!” she yelled.). This makes readings a bit more difficult than acting in a scene, with one actor per part. Again, rely on your intimate knowledge of the characters, their personalities, hopes, dreams, and backgrounds, to help you get inside their skins and portray them true to your vision.

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The Reading as a Three-Act Play

Audiences need to be guided through a performance, from beginning to end. This is not a criticism, just a fact that performers understand and work to accommodate. If you lead the audience through the various stages of the event, the beginning, high points, middle, and end, you help them feel safe to relax and enjoy themselves, and respond appropriately, such as when to applaud. If you don’t provide this guidance, people will feel uneasy and will be focused on their discomfort instead of your performance.

 

For this reason, try performing your reading as if it were a three-act play. You can guide the audience through a beginning, middle, and end, taking them on a small journey into your world.

 

The three acts are:

 

1. The Introduction — You as The Author. A brief introduction of you and your book while you win allies in the audience and set the stage for the main act.

2. The Reading — You as the Narrator and the Characters. This is where you will be doing the most acting, so try to remain in character and deliver your best performance.

3. The Ending — You again as The Author. End the reading with a clear indication that the performance is over, then take charge of the Q&A session to get the most audience participation.

 

The Introduction

First impressions are important, and the moment you are called up to read you begin the opening act of your performance. This is when you take possession of the stage and take the first steps toward winning over your audience. Something to keep in mind: the audience is on your side. They want you to succeed because they want to be entertained. Remembering this can take away a lot of anxiety as you take those steps to the stage.

 

A key element of this moment is preparation. All the work, practice, and preparation you do to ensure you are ready is meant for this moment. You have controlled your anxiety. You have practiced your reading and improved your breath control and pronunciation and presentation skills. You have your materials ready — books and notes or tablet computer or whatever — so you do not fumble or drop anything on your way to the front of the room. You know what you will read, and you know how you want to read it, and though you may have butterflies, you know you are ready for the moment.

 

All that preparation is necessary to make this first impression a good one. You stride confidently to your place, smiling at the crowd. You set your materials on the podium or table or whatever is at hand without any hesitation or difficulty. You look up, smile and introduce yourself. You thank everyone for attending. You thank the organizers and hosts of the reading. You tell the audience the title of your work, and perhaps a bit of backstory about it. You do all this smiling, making eye contact with many individuals in the crowd, speaking in a clear voice loud enough to be heard by all. You are prepared for this key moment because making such an entrance and opening remarks is how you win the audience over as allies to your success.

 

Here's a brief outline to consider as a structure for the Introduction to your reading:

 

• Stride to the stage and smile as you greet the audience. Thank them for coming and thank the organizers and hosts of the reading. Take a few moments to arrange things to your liking, where your books and notes are, a bottle of water or whatever you need to feel comfortable.

• In the voice you will speak with, ask if everyone in the room can hear you. If there is a microphone, arrange it to your height and do the same, testing how sensitive it is. If it is too loud or too quiet, ask for it to be adjusted before continuing.

• Set a timer — Use an app on your phone, a kitchen timer, a watch or whatever works for you, but don’t go without it. Check it frequently and end your reading on time. You will give the audience a better performance — and will make more friends and allies — if you avoid taking more time than you were allotted.

• Give a brief overview of yourself and your work. Give the title of the book, explain if it is published or a work in progress. If there is an interesting anecdote about it, such as how the idea came to you, share that. Above all, be brief.

• Explain a bit about the parts you will be reading, and give whatever backstory is needed to give the audience context and to understand how the scene you are reading begins. Then start the reading!

 

A SUGGESTION — Draw the audience in to the Reading with a “scene set.” What you read may already have this, but if not, do it yourself. “The scene is a country cemetery late on a summer afternoon, the many trees casting shade in shimmering dapples of light. A man stands before a headstone, head bowed, and hands folded in contemplation...”

 

The Reading

When you open your book and begin reading, you raise the curtain on your Broadway performance. As we discussed in the section on voices, the first words will be either the Narrator or a Character, and this is where your preparation will shine through. Your text will do a great deal of work because you crafted those words to give the reader a tangible sense of your scene and setting, and what your characters are thinking and feeling. Bring those words to life for your audience through your voice, your body and your eyes.

 

Again, you don’t need to overact the parts, but neither should you simply read the words. Reading is a vastly different experience from listening to a storyteller. When we read, we are alone with the text and can build the world and the characters in our own minds. But when we listen to another tell a story, we need the performance of an actor to excite us into listening closely and giving the speaker our full attention.

 

A frequent problem when giving readings is speeding up and not noticing that we are losing the audience’s attention. Anxiety often is the culprit, so preparation and practice are vital to help you feel in control of your performance. The best way to counter this is to purposely slow down and listen to your own words. Give yourself — and your characters — a chance to breathe. Give your audience a chance to catch up with who is speaking and what is happening. Rushing leads to mumbled lines in a breathless voice and you can lose attention quickly.

 

Whether you read one scene or several, it is important for you to stay in the story — don’t break character. Avoid the temptation to stop in the middle of a scene and explain something like a character’s backstory, or to acknowledge a reaction from someone in the crowd. If you read more than one scene, end the first clearly — look up from your materials, smile and say thank you. Give the audience a chance to applaud that scene and then step back into your Author voice to announce the next scene. Then stay in that scene until it ends.

 

Finally, when you finish the last of your reading, make it clear to the audience it has ended. Close your book or notes, look up again and smile and thank the audience for their kind attention. If you simply trail off and don’t give them a signal that the reading is over, you can confuse them, make them nervous about applauding, and drain the energy and good will you have gained to that point. Bring the curtain down so everyone feels good about reacting to your performance.

 

Here's an outline to consider as a structure for the Reading portion of your performance:

 

• When you begin the actual reading, give those first few words the importance and weight of the opening night for a Broadway show. Pause before you begin, settle yourself into the roles and perform them with enthusiasm that says, “the curtain has risen, and the show has begun!”

• Listen to yourself as you read and check yourself for things like speeding up, slurring and tripping over words, shortness of breath, and other signs that your anxiety might be negatively affecting your performance.

• Just as you do when you are speaking as the Author, glance up and meet the eyes of individuals in the room as you read. This is a powerful way to connect with people and win allies. It is a challenge, because you can lose your place or be affected by the people’s reactions, so here is another reason for strong preparation and practice.

• Stay in character as you read – all the separate voices must be as unique and individual as you wrote them, so try to embody each and perform them as you would want your audience to hear them. Let each character shine in the way that you intended for the story.

• If you make mistakes like lose your place or bungle some words — and you will — don’t dwell on it. Get back on track quickly and don’t try to go back for things you can’t fix. The idea is to stay in character, not break the storytelling spell. No one will fault you for mistakes, but you can lose their interest and engagement if you apologize or try to go back to a beginning point. Move on from mistakes and keep the magic going.

• As you end each reading section, let the audience know the scene is over. Look up and thank the audience and bask in their appreciation. When you reach the last bit of the reading, bring down the curtain. Make a show of putting down your materials, stepping back and even taking a bow. The audience will appreciate being given permission to then show their appreciation.

 

The Ending

When you’ve finished the Reading, you return to portraying the Author, bask in the applause, and take charge of whatever time you have left to finish your performance. If you’ve managed your time well, you may have a chance to cement your relationship with the audience by answering questions about you and your story. This can be a delightful time when you get to learn how your story affected people and enjoy their enthusiasm. It’s often a nice reward for all the work you put into your writing and your performance.

 

As discussed before, managing your time is crucial throughout the event, but it is especially important during the Ending. You may not have many minutes left and you may have many people who want to speak. To give the audience your best, you want to field as many questions as you can, and this means you must manage the questions and your answers to be as brief as possible. First, make your answers brief. We can easily get carried away and answer simple questions with long stories. Just being asked, “Where did you get the idea for this book?” can open the floodgates and have you tell the story of your life. Avoid this tendency, answer briefly and call on the next person.

 

Likewise, you can’t let someone dominate the conversation. People will sometimes ask follow-up questions after you answer or start telling their own long story. This is where the Author must step in and run things like a business meeting. When you answer one question, immediately move on to choose someone else, and make it clear with your voice and body language that someone else is speaking. If someone is taking a long time to ask their question — it often happens that people use the question to have their own moment in the spotlight — listen carefully and take the question away from them, shorten it and answer it. The best experience for your audience is to have as many questions answered from as many people as possible.

 

Finally, when your time has run out, make it clear that the performance is over. If you will be selling your book at the event, say so and point out where you will be. Again thank everybody in the audience, the organizers and hosts, gather up your things and leave the stage. As when you made your entrance, make a good exit, smiling and acknowledging the audience’s appreciation. Bask in the reward of a superior performance.

 

Some key things to keep in mind about managing the Ending:

 

• Plan and practice your reading so that you have as many minutes as possible for questions during the Ending. People enjoy participating and having their moment in the spotlight. Even those who don’t talk enjoy the extra back-and-forth between you and others.

• Be brief in your answers and help others to be brief in their questions. Don’t let anyone hog the time with long-winded questions or taking over to tell their story. Run the Ending like a meeting and move things along.

• Be effusive with your thanks. You can’t pour too much praise on the people who worked so hard to make the reading happen, the people and organization who hosted it, and other volunteers who made the event enjoyable. Praise the building, hall, or home where you are reading.

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On Preparation and Practice

Much has been said so far about preparation and practice being important to giving a successful reading. They are important because giving a reading of your fiction is entirely different from writing it and requires completely different tools and skills. Even the best author in the world can’t rely on their writing expertise to give a great reading. Actors rehearse many times before opening night. You need to do the same to be ready for your one-person show.

 

Here is a list of key points on how to prepare for the event and practice your part:

 

• Preparation begins with learning all you can about the event.

  • Be sure you know exactly when and where the reading is being held. If you’ve never been to the location, visit there if possible and get a feel for the venue.

  • The time of day might affect your preparation. Will it be when you are naturally alert, or will you need to rearrange your sleep and eating that day to be at your best?

  • Ask the organizers of the reading what is expected of you. How much time will you be given to read? What other readers will attend and when is your spot in the reading order? What is allowed to be said or should you self-censor? (For some audiences, you may be asked to tone down or “bleep” certain language. Ask yourself if you’re willing to do that.)

  • Ask if a PA system will be used. Using a microphone is a separate skill that you should practice if you can before using one for the first time in front of an audience.

  • Will you be allowed to sell your books at the event? What will you need to handle money, like making change or accepting credit cards? Will you need to bring your own table and chair, or will they be provided?

  • Will there be a podium, lectern, table or anything you can use for your materials while you read? You may have a book, notes, phone, computer, water — anything you need to make your reading successful. If you need something to set your things on, consider buying an inexpensive music stand or small standing table and offering it to be used by all the readers at that event. (In short, whatever you need for your reading, don’t rely on the venue providing it. Bring it yourself.)

• Select what scene(s) you will read, and time yourself reading.

  • Do this timing by reading the text aloud. The time to read silently will be different from that spoken.

  • These timing sessions are the first of many rehearsals you should have before opening night. Read at a slower pace than you would normally, emphasizing your words and pauses, and time the readings using a stopwatch or phone app.

  • As you practice more, continue to time yourself and note if you are speeding up or slowing down. (You might also record your timings, so you can calculate an average time to use in planning your performance.)

• Practice, practice, practice — then practice some more.

  • Nothing will prepare you for your reading than to practice reading aloud as many times as possible. Repetition will help you find the right reading pace, allow you to experiment with how you will voice the characters, and learn the text so that you don’t have to rely on reading each word and can look up into the audience as you read.

  • There is much disagreement on whether to practice in front of a mirror, for friends and family, or recording yourself in audio and video. Think about what works best for you and, if possible, try each method at least once to find what you prefer. Recording yourself in a video can yield a lot of useful information — you can view it and learn how your timing is working, you can see how you look to an audience, and you can hear if you are reading clearly and performing the characters well.

  • As you repeat your readings, experiment with how you want to manage your materials that support your performance — book or paper notes, phone, tablet, or computer, timer, water, etc. Decide on what works best for you and practice that way each time. Even something as simple as taking a sip of water is part of your performance, and you’ll want to be as adept with such elements as you are at reading itself.

• Prepare and practice how you will perform the Introduction and the Ending as the Author.

  • As you become familiar with the reading itself, you need to decide on a “script” for the Introduction and Ending and practice those as much as you can. You might not write an actual script, but even some bullet points as reminders can be an immense help.

  • Practice your Author segments as often as you can, and time them as well. Include things like walking from your seat to the stage and back again. Practice referring to your notes or book, sipping some water, setting and managing your timer. An old saying goes, “You perform as you practice.” So you will do yourself a great service by practicing the way you want to perform.

  • Imagine some questions you might be asked during the Ending, and practice answering them. This is a little like playing chess against yourself, but it can be done and will help you think about how you would handle questions and manage your time on stage.

• Put it all together, beginning to end.

  • When you have the three acts of your performance well-rehearsed, start running through the whole performance from beginning to end. These run throughs are your “dress rehearsals,” preparing for opening night. (In fact, consider dressing how you will at the reading, just like actors who perform in full costume during dress rehearsals. Also, use all your materials and set yourself up as you will be in your performance.)

  • Time these full run-throughs to get a feel for how you will manage your three acts. You want to finish on time, and you want to devote the most time to the Reading. This is another time when recording yourself on video will pay dividends. You can learn where you could trim time in the Introduction or the Ending to make time for the Reading. Also, you might find you need to cut some of your reading to make ample time for the two Author segments.

  • A general rule of thumb for timing your performance is this: Alot one part Introduction to one part Ending, with two parts devoted to the Reading. If you are given twenty minutes total, work to limit your Introduction and Ending to five minutes each with ten minutes devoted to the Reading. Rehearsing the entire performance from beginning to end will give you a keen sense of your timing when you are on stage and the pressure to perform is on.

• Finally, prepare the night before and the day of the event.

  • Put together all the materials you will need the night before and pack them so you can easily bring them into the venue. Likewise, choose your wardrobe and set it out so you don’t have to make any last-minute choices.

  • Get a good night’s sleep and follow your usual regimen of diet, exercise and grooming. Don’t decide the day of your reading to change your routines; going through your day normally will help to focus your mind on the event and help to give you a sense of familiarity and calm.

  • Show up at the venue early, if possible, with everything you need to give a superior performance all organized for easy use. If there are tasks to be done before the event, like setting out tables and chairs, offer to lend a hand. You will win allies and friends by volunteering, and the work will help you relax and get to know the place where your Broadway debut will shine.

                                                                                                                       

 Above all, have fun! Enjoy this rare and precious moment when you get your chance to shine in the spotlight. If you enjoy yourself, your audience will as well. The great director Konstantin Stanislavski said, “There are no small roles,” meaning that every character is a full-fledged human being, and the actor should treat them as such. Likewise, there are no “small readings.” Your moment on stage is as momentous and important as any great theatre production. Think of it in this light, give the performance your all, and yours will truly be a stage-worthy reading of your fiction.

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Craig Allen Heath is the author of Where You Will Die, a murder mystery masquerading as a literary novel, and other works. The sequel, Killing Buddhas, is due to be available in fall of 2024. He lives in southwest Washington state with his wife Pat and two mischievous dogs, Shepherd Lobo and Husky Aura.

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craigallenheath.com

info@craigallenheath.email

 

Resources​

Books

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Public Speaking for Authors, Creatives and Other Introverts: Second Edition (Creative Business Books for Writers and Authors)

- Joanna Penn

Available in Kindle, paperback and hard cover

 

Public Speaking-From Competent to Captivating: How to Be a Better Public Speaker and Overcome Your Speaking Anxiety, Fear and Overthinking

- David E. Guggenheim

Available in Kindle, paperback and hard cover

 

Audition: Everything an Actor Needs to Know to Get the Part

- Michael Shurtleff

Available in Kindle, paperback and hard cover

 

Freeing the Natural Voice: Imagery and Art in the Practice of Voice and Language

- Kristin Linklater

Available in Kindle and Paperback

 

Acting is Acting: Your Step by Step Acting Guidebook

- Lovena Kureemun

Available in Kindle and paperback

 

Foundations of Acting : The Essential Guide to Mastering the Art of Performance

- Leon Maxwell

Available in Kindle and audio book

 

 

Web Resources

 

Toastmasters International

The international website offers a wide variety of resources to learn public speaking and sharpen your skills. Check out their free resource library. To get the best of what they offer, use the site to search for a local club. Visit a time or two and then decide about joining.

 

10 Tips to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills

Coursera overview of public speaking

 

11 Public Speaking Tips: How to Relax, Focus, and Shine at Your Next Presentation

Purdue International – a quick overview of the basics

 

Before public speaking… a playlist of TED Talks on the art of public speaking
A series playlist of TED Talks on the topic of speaking before an audience.

 

Public Speaking for Beginners

YouTube video seminar by Communication Coach Alexander Lyon

 

The 7 secrets of the greatest speakers in history

- Inspirational TEDx Talk by Richard Greene | TEDxOrangeCoast

 

Acting essentials 101

Udemy course covering techniques, exercises, tips and mindset for developing your skills in acting.

(Paid course. Significant discount for free membership in Udemy.)

 

A Basic Guide to Mics and Mic Techniques for Presenters

Exactly what it says – for all the main types of microphones

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7 Microphone Tips for Public Speaking

Like the other but with photo and video examples

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