Benjamin Hope's Blog, page 2
February 11, 2019
Publisher: (this edition) Fantasy and Horror Classics
Gen...
Publisher: (this edition) Fantasy and Horror Classics
Genre: Gothic Horror; Ghost; Fantasy
M R James’ ghost stories have a foot firmly placed in the dark romantic gothic story telling traditions from the 18th century (which later saw a revival in the Victorian age with the likes of his contemporaries, Bram Stoker and Dickens, and with Poe, across the pond). And whilst the settings of his tales were more pedestrian, often pulling away from the mysterious and outlandish settings of classic gothic tropes, his self-styled antiquated prose (not at all meant in a pejorative sense), and dealings in the sinister, the supernatural, and the darker acts of mankind, for me, certainly still place him in the gothic fiction camp. So, to a favourite of mine:
The Haunted Dolls’ House
Mr Dillet procures a doll’s house at a fraction of its worth but soon uncovers the reason why. The tolling of its chapel bell rouses him from sleep at 1am and he watches, spellbound, as nefarious deeds occur within. James skilfully combines the supernatural, dark menace, and the strangely voyeuristic, in a tale that explores the selfish heart of mankind.
February 7, 2019
Recording an Audio Book: Practical Top Tips for Ensuring a Dynamic and Engaging Delivery
While I’m in the midst of self-producing the audio-book for my novel, The Procurement of Souls, I thought I would put together a blog on things other writers might like to consider when producing their own. I don’t pretend to be a technical whizz, although I will be making a software recommendation in a follow-up article; what I do have, however, is voice training from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and a visiting lecturer post at a university where I support doctoral level students in public speaking techniques. For this reason, I thought I would lay out some top tips for others who, like me, are reading the narrative themselves. I’m certainly not purporting to be the world’s greatest orator, but certainly the principles I outline below should help others in making their own readings clearer and more engaging.
Before I get started on aspects of voice production to consider, let’s briefly touch on…
A COUPLE OF THINGS READERS SHOULD AVOID:
Playing a Mood
I’m not talking here about imbuing (truthful) emotion into one’s delivery; this is something, depending on the content and narrative voice of the story that is certainly necessary, particularly in 1st person narrative voice prose and with dialogue. What I mean by playing a mood, is when one tries to adopt a specific tonality to the voice in an attempt to convey the genre of the story or the intended feel of a particular scene. We’ve all seen the horror film where the old lady tells the young couple, in her best crackling and creepy voice, not to go near the house that’s been abandoned for a hundred years, the whole time signalling to the audience: THIS IS A HORROR FILM, THIS IS A HORROR FILM. She’s playing a mood. It’s naff. It turns the audience off. Instead, when reading your book, whatever the genre may be, have faith in the prose and narrative thread: let the story, and power of your words, create the world you intended without additional layering – it shouldn’t be needed – and allow the reader’s (listener’s in this case) own imagination develop it from there.
Adopting a ‘Reader’s’ Voice
It’s true: not everyone in this world has the most charismatic speaking voice. I certainly don’t. But in the same vein as playing a mood, trying to manufacture a sound that is intended to sound ‘actorly’, for want of a better expression, will only produce something that is phoney and that will switch the audience off. Much better instead, to be true to your own speaking voice whilst ensuring that you ground it with solid vocal production by breathing properly (briefly outlined below); and that you create interest by considering the aspects of speech I mention, below.
AND SO TO ‘THE 6 PS’
Practise: Before we look at the aspects of effective reading, I’d just like to mention the importance of practise, first. Taking the time to hone the delivery of your text is the only way to ensure that what you record is the best that you can make it. This means playing back material to yourself and, ideally, to others who can act as beta listeners. Try and choose people who you trust to be honest and objective. If your stuck for someone you know personally, then reach out to the writing community at large: there are plenty of peers out there who will be only too willing to take a listen, so long as you are happy to offer constructive feedback on a project of their own.
Pace: It may sound obvious, but pace is essential for ensuring clarity and engagement. Too fast, and your words are unintelligible; too slow, and you are sure to switch the listener off. To achieve an ideal pace, try and tune in to the natural meter of the narrative, letting the words guide you. We’re not all Shakespeare and certainly our novels are not set to iambic pentameter, but the natural rhythm of the syllables within individual words and then within a sentence as a whole are useful pointers for how to set the pace of the reading. Additionally, should there be tricky words within the text (be they tricky to say or tricky as a concept) make sure that you give them sufficient space to be articulated by you as the reader, and absorbed by the listener.
Pitch: I mentioned earlier, that we can’t all have the most charismatic voice in the world. What we can do, however, is be conscious of how we modulate it for effect. I’m not talking about endowing yourself with the ‘Barry White’ of speaking voices or of trying to emulate Ian McKellen: rather, like rhythm, words and sentences have their own natural melody to them – tapping in to it will support a more dynamic and absorbing experience for the listener. It goes back to practising and listening – are you aware of a monotony or flatness of tone to your own voice? If you are, try to think about the content of what the narrative is getting across. What’s important within the sentence that requires emphasis? Are you reading description or thoughts from an individual’s perspective? It’s about context and, ultimately, what will drive the inflection and modulation of the voice within the reading is the next point on our list:
Purpose: whilst we want to avoid playing a mood, we need to strike a balance so that the purpose of the text is honoured. The over-arching purpose for us is to tell an engaging story. This means making the delivery dynamic and interesting, in line with the context of the story/narrative being told. I would suggest that pace and pitch will enable you to make your mark in regards to purpose if done so in a way that is natural to you. In a way, I suppose pitch and purpose are a bit of a chick and egg situation in that the purpose of the text will inform the aspects of pitch and modulation, and visa versa. But instead of worrying about that, try to think of these aspects as working in harmony together and being mutually-enhancing.
Personality: Whatever your voice, you will undoubtedly have something unique and valuable to bring to a reading. I think that this is particularly important to note for writers who are reading their own work. You wrote it and your personal stamp will therefore be an integral part of the narrative voice. Have faith therefore that you will do the text justice – after all, who knows the text better or more intimately that its creator? Bring what you intended within the text to the reading of it, but be guided by those objective beta-listeners who may need to draw your ear to specific quirks that don’t quite work, or your attention to a specific need for greater variety in pitch, for example.
Posture: I include posture here as it is integral to good breath control, and thence, to effective delivery of your text. Be sure to align yourself properly when sitting down to record; give due attention to the natural length and height of your spine and back (I’m loathe to suggest a straight spine, due to its natural curve); be sure not to squash the abdomen, ribs, and lung space, so that you can take advantage of your lung capacity and breath control. This leads nicely on to…
BREATH:
Breath is of course essential to a successful delivery. It’s not about taking huge lungfuls of air, but about an intake that is appropriate to the delivery that is required. How long is the sentence/s? How far into the text do you need to go, using that breath, to ensure clarity is maintained? Have you given thought to any inflection or modulation of the voice that might require additional air? How much of a breath will you require to ensure that you are able to energise the whole sentence/s without dropping the energy at the end? Regardless of the size of breath you’ve now established you need, in order to get that breath situated correctly, consider these things:
breath into the belly
imagine the breath dropping into the lower back
feel the floating ribs swing out, as you breath in
breath in through your nose to minimise the drying of the mouth
Look ahead / mark up your text with breath marks (I use ticks P) within the reading so that you can anticipate the amount of breath that is required for delivery.
A NOTE ON DRY MOUTHS:
We’ve all heard those voices on the radio where a speaker’s words are punctuated by the sound of lips smacking and their tongue clicking. It’s off putting, unpleasant, and caused by a dry mouth. If you find that your recordings play back with these unsoundly additions then the key is to get the saliva going again and this won’t be solved by having a glass of water. Whilst this might refresh your mouth momentarily, what you need is a good boiled sweet or vocal lozenge to generate saliva flow. You can also try visualising the soft palette rising at the back of the mouth and the lips sitting forward of the teeth: these mouth postures can be useful in making the mouth moist enough to help eradicate those unwanted sound effects!
Good luck, and happy recording! Oh, and you can click the image link below, if you fancy following me on Soundcloud in advance of the serialised release of The Procurement of Souls this March…
February 4, 2019
Speculative Fiction Recommendations in 60 Words: What’s on the TBR Pile Now?
After thoroughly enjoying Melmoth by Sarah Perry, I’ve got more great reading in store, including a couple of ARCs sent my way from Kyanite Publishing. Here’s what’s next, and what I’m sure will make for some more 60 Word Recommendations:
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Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng
Genre/s: Dark Fantasy / Gothic Fantasy / Fairy Tale / Alternative History
Already started this gothic fantasy debut about a woman who travels to the relatively newly discovered land of the Fae in search of her Victorian missionary brother. I’m only about 100 pages in and it’s already shaping up to be deliciously dark and realised with a great eye for detail. The world drips with gothic foreboding.
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The Ravencrest Chronicles | Omnibus One by B. K. Bass
Genre/s: Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Flintlock Fantasy
I’ve been lucky enough to receive an ARC from Kyanite Publishing for this one, in advance of its release in a couple of weeks’ time, and I couldn’t resist making a start (I’m reading it in tandem with Pendulum Sun). As it says, it’s an omnibus, and comprised of three novellas and a series of short stories and poems. I’m about 50 pages into the first, Seahaven, and already enjoying the decidedly unsavoury reality that the port-town has to offer as well as the roguish charm of the protagonist thief.
[image error]The Magician’s Sin by Alexander Thomas
Genre/s: Fantasy / Noir
Another ARC offering from Kyanite Publishing. Of course, I had to have a quick read of the first chapter, and it certainly opens with a bang, as a semi-retired wizard, Anson Walker, enters a church in Titan City to do battle with a demon who has already brutalised the local priest and exorcist. Looking forward to how this shapes up.
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Genre: Grimdark Fantasy
After being recommended Adrian Selby’s work by a friend, I am desperate to get to Snakewood, which I’m promised is one hell of a debut. With his second novel out last year, I have a feeling that I have a couple of treats in store. Only sorry, that I can’t make the Super Relaxed Fantasy Club (@SRFantasyClub) on 12th Feb at the Gollancz offices in London, to hear him read.
February 2, 2019
Publisher: Serpent’s Tail (October 2018)
Genre: Gothic Fi...
Publisher: Serpent’s Tail (October 2018)
Genre: Gothic Fiction
After reading an unnerving manuscript, Helen Franklin becomes convinced that Melmoth the Witness now follows her path: a woman in black, both beguiling and fearsome, condemned to walk on bloodied feet, bearing witness to sin. This is one suspenseful gothic mystery that combines vignettes of classic gothic-terror with theological themes of redemption and compassion, all set within Prague’s shadowy streets.
January 31, 2019
January 29, 2019
Baba Yaga and the Ailing Child Published in the Kyanite Press Journal of Speculative Fiction: Fables and Fairy Tales Winter Digest
I was very pleased when my Slavic folklore inspired short story, Baba Yaga and the Ailing Child, was chosen, alongside my guest foreword, for inclusion in the Kyanite Press Journal of Speculative Fiction: Fables and Fairy Tales Winter Digest. It tells the tale of a community, living on the edge of the woodland inhabited by the notorious and feared Baba Yaga, and of the three men who would seek a remedy from her in order to cure a dying infant in their village.
I have to say, that my story is in great company, though, if I was to pick out one amongst them that was the most compelling, it would be that of Black Witch Hen by Hanson Oak, whose story deservedly won the ‘featured’ spot in the digest. It is set in 1692 and the time of the Salem witch trials, and it offers up an originally dark tale that examines the culture of the time and starts to unpick some big questions such as the nature of good vs. evil, and of morality. For those looking for a new author of interest, you can check Hanson out here.
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For more information about Kyanite Press’ Fables and Fairy Tales Winter Digest and to purchase a copy, you can visit their website here, or order through Amazon.
January 28, 2019
On the Importance of Fairy Tales Published in the Kyanite Press Journal of Speculative Fiction Fairy Tales and Fables Winter Digest
Thrilled that my article, On the Importance of Fairy Tales, was used as the guest foreword in the Kyanite Press Journal of Speculative Fiction Fables and Fairy Tales Winter Digest. In this short foreword I look briefly at the roots of traditional story telling and their inherent shared authorship; at how they act as societal mirrors; and at their role in child development. Accompanying this, my fairy tale, Baba Yaga and the Ailing Child, has also been included in the volume, an original story with its roots in Slavic folklore. More information on this to follow…
Do you have a favourite traditional tale or one that holds significant importance to you / your culture? Would love to hear any thoughts in the comments box below.
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For more information about Kyanite Press’ Fables and Fairy Tales Winter Digest and to purchase a copy, you can visit their website here, or order through Amazon.
January 27, 2019
From the World of The Procurement of Souls…
A huge dome sat in the middle of the room, stripped of its brass panels, curved girders, like the ribs of an elephant carcass, the only thing maintaining its form. Other machinery lay scattered and broken across the floor, harnessed chairs with glass piping fractured and fissured in every length creating breaches which served to render them useless. Everything had been dismantled and destroyed but Magnus saw it for what it was. This is where it had all happened. The procurement of souls.
Read the first three chapters for free here.
September 25, 2018
From the World of The Procurement of Souls: EMOTOMETER
The next invention from the world of The Procurement of Souls is another of Magnus Drinkwater’s patented instruments, the EMOTOMETER.
[image error]EMOTOMETER Notes:
Patented by Magnus Drinkwater, the emotometer is a brass-based cylindrical apparatus which houses filament receptors capable of reading and interpreting states of being, determined by the density and combination of hormones and pheromones present. It was used by Magnus on an unresponsive and previously missing young woman in an attempt to establish her level of consciousness. The readings that resulted had never before been seen in modern science.
September 21, 2018
The Children of Blackmarsh to be Published in the Kyanite Press Speculative Fiction Journal Halloween Special
Following the publication of , The Rookery at Smeaton Abbey, I’m pleased to announce that another of my short stories, The Children of Blackmarsh, will feature in the Halloween special edition of the Kyanite Press Speculative Fiction Journal. The tale is a gothic horror about the grim fate of an isolated community living in poverty out in the fenlands. Looks like there are some great contributors in this issue, including a favourite of mine, Arthur Macabe, whose story, The Schlikt, is also appearing.
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You can pre-order your copy directly from Kyanite Publishing’s website.
(Kyanite Press front page artwork used by agreement with Kyanite Publishing LLC)
