The Writer as Performer: What Authors Need to Know to Kill at a Live Reading

Bookstore events, open mics, library events, group readings, etc. There are a number of opportunities to read one’s work to the public. It can be a great opportunity or a way to make a few hours seem like an eternity.

A live reading has two parts: the content and the performance. And it is just that: a performance. The first step is to choose the right material to read on stage. Not all writing plays the same when read aloud. Luckily, I’ve already written about how to choose the best material for a live reading.

Once you have the right material to work with, it comes down to the execution on stage. A lot of people tell me that writers are nervous introverts that aren’t naturally good public speakers. Of course, they aren’t. There’s nothing natural about public speaking. Like writing and damn near everything else, it’s something that one has to learn how to do and gain experience to get better. It doesn’t help to make excuses.

And to be honest, if someone truly believes that they will never be a good public speaker, they should do the audience a favor and just not read their stuff publicly. Nobody wins when a writer reads terribly. Literary readings can be great, but they aren’t necessary. No matter what, they have to be treated as their own medium.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD READER?

Even though you are the writer of the work, that does not necessarily mean you are the best person to read it. You have to find material that suits who you are and your performance quality. What is your performance quality? I don’t know. Get in front of the mirror, read in front of your friends, see what works and what doesn’t. Some stuff will work better for your voice than others. It’s a matter of trial and error, and at some point, instinct.

I don’t have any advice on how to not get nervous, other than to keep at it. It gets better, but to be honest, I still get a little nervous. There’s one important thing to remember, an absolute truth: The worst case scenario of a bad reading is that you gave a bad reading. That’s it. The sun won’t explode. No lives will be lost.

Since most readings suck, the bar is incredibly low. If the default expectation is that it’s going to suck, there’s nowhere to go but up. You’ll also most likely be in front of the most sympathetic audience in the world. They’ll give you a lot of slack. Most likely, the first time you do it, you won’t be terrible and you won’t be great. The audience will still clap and you’ll learn a little more about what worked for you.

A good reader makes it clear that they are there for the audience, not themselves. Maybe through a joke, a self-deprecating bio, an ease, even a simple, “I hope you dig this.” Make sure that the people in the audience know that you want to entertain them.

To be a good reader, you have to be a good audience member, as well. That means being attentive when the other readers are at the microphone. Clapping when they’re done and doing your best to be engaged. It’s not just a matter of respect, it’s about learning what works and what doesn’t. You read a lot of books before you wrote one, didn’t you?

You can be humble without being self-doubting. You can be confident without being arrogant.

The best way to fight nervousness is confidence. And confidence comes from being prepared. Since you can’t rush experience, preparation is essential for a good reading.

If you choose to read dialogue (I would encourage you to keep it limited), some people would suggest using different voices. If you have acting experience and think you can pull it off, have at it. Personally, I find it distracting (or entertaining in a more “laughing at you” kind of way). Pauses are usually more effective in communicating different voices and you’d be erring on the side of not making an ass out of yourself. If a character yells, you should yell. Don’t be afraid to alter your voice a little, but don’t get too cute.

There are no real rules. It just comes down to what works. Hell, I would use props if I thought it would work.

HAVE A PLAN B

Before you read in public, read the piece out loud several times. This accomplishes a number of things. You will quickly discover the words or names that you’re not sure how to pronounce. You’ll be surprised at the number of words that you wrote down confidently, but realize that you’ve only read and never heard out loud. You will also discover a few hidden tongue twisters that you didn’t know were there. Better to be surprised at home than on the stage.

Reading aloud gives you the opportunity to time yourself and get a good gauge to where you’re at. Read it to a few people, see what they think. No harm in getting a second or third opinion.

That said, there are sometimes surprises when you show up. The first time I was asked to read at a library, I realized that I didn’t have an excerpt that I liked that was obscenity-free. Luckily I had some time, so I wrote a short story specifically to read at that event.

Now when I show up to events, I always have that story in my back pocket on the off-chance the crowd isn’t the right crowd for my more violent and profane work. I won’t censor my work, but I can read something different if necessary. There’s nothing worse than reading good material to the wrong crowd. Nobody wins.

If you plan on reading often, you’re going to want to have some go-to material, try out new material, and cherry-pick specific material depending on the venue. It’s good to have choices.

LIVE READINGS: THE BASICS

The great thing about a reading is that at its core it’s a very basic concept. A stage and a microphone (and sometimes there isn’t even a microphone).

If you’ve never worked with a microphone, it’s not a bad idea to play with a mike stand and get used to adjusting it. Next time you watch a stand-up comic on TV, watch how effortlessly they deal with the microphone and mike stand throughout their performance. It’s a simple thing, but one less thing to worry about.

Provide the organizer for the event with a bio for your introduction. It can be funny or straightforward, whatever you like, but I would keep it at around 50 words. Less is more applies here too.

Know where you are in the order. Whether you’re reading last or first or in the middle, don’t duck out until the event is over. Unless it’s absolutely necessary for you to be somewhere else, watch everyone read. It’s just polite.

Thank everyone. Thank the audience for showing up. Thank the organizer for including you. Thank the venue for having the event. If it’s at a cafe or bar, thank the people working there. Seriously, do your best to be genuinely grateful for everyone that’s there.

For the reading itself, assuming that you’ve already been introduced, walk to the microphone, adjust it to the position you want (or get the organizer to help), quick hellos and thank yous, and then you will introduce what you are reading.

If it’s a published piece, tell everyone where they can read it or buy it. If it’s unpublished, describe how it fits into what you write. Quickly. And then if you need to set it up, do that. Something like this:

“I’m going to read an excerpt from my short story “The Big Red One,” published in the anthology “Lee” published by Crime Factory. Each author in the antho wrote a fictional story about the actor Lee Marvin, creating a fictional biography. This was my contribution.”

In the case of this story, I actually do a little more than just read. As the story is written as a transcript of a police interrogation, I get a volunteer from the audience to read the smaller part of the policeman. He’s the straight man and it’s only a few lines, but it usually plays really well and gets the audience more involved. I often ad-lib a few things to throw off the other reader, as well, to make them laugh. It becomes something other than the traditional reading. This borders on violating my “don’t get cute” rule, but rules only apply to things that don’t work. Also, rules don’t apply to me.

Once the reading starts, own it. You wrote it, do your best to believe in it. Sell it. Read the story like you’re excited to be there. Like you’re excited to share this awesome tale. Like a really good story you would tell someone over dinner or in a bar. Don’t just read it, draw us into it.

And that’s it. That’s all I can think to say about giving a good literary reading. I hope it helps, only because I hope there comes a day when I don’t dread going to readings and actually look forward to the experience.