Have been very tardy in blogging about this event, but I gadded off to another book-related social happening just a few days after York and have only now – a week later – recovered from the resultant hangover.
First, York…
This was a great event – made all the more so because I met up with Authonomy writing friends, some of whom I hadn’t met before. Between workshops, speakers, one-to-ones with agents and the bar, we hardly stopped for the whole weekend. Very tiring, but informative and great fun too.
On the Friday evening I took part in the Authonomy Live! competition. This consisted of standing on stage in front of 300+ people and reading an extract from my book. Given I’ve never read any of my work to another human being in person before (late-night, drink-fuelled film-making in my shed and reading out loud to the dogs don’t count) it was quite a nerve-wracking prospect.
But… I did it! And without making fool of myself too – which, given the amount of vodka and wine I’d consumed before taking to the stage, was a minor miracle in itself.
You can watch it here, along with the judge’s verdict:
sandie zand 
Go Sandie!Good for you. I know you can write, but you read well also.Cheers.
I wanted to come to this, but for personal reasons (I had a post split between Hull & York Universities) I didn't want to come to York. So it's good to be able to see your reading here!You have a lovely reading voice, but under pressure you read slightly faster than a professional actor would've done. I wonder whether this is affected one judge's comment over pace?
I did read too quickly, Larry – far faster than I'd rehearsed! (as you know it's amazing how *slow* it sounds to yourself when reading at a correct pace for an audience).I think the judge's comments were valid – albeit they were only privy to a very small extract. I've done some edits since York, turned part of this scene into dialogue – the argument – and it's much better for it.
Thanks for sharing. I saw the forum post about the contest. And good on you. It takes courage to get up and read and but it's a very important part of working on your craft and the novel itself. You hear how the book sounds and often you catch something you didn't see on paper or the screen. I'm at Authonomy, though a little slack lately, as I'm hanging with friends from there elsewhere. THE TREE SOLDIER