Fandom Snowflake Challenge, Day 10

[aadler]

 
Continuing the meme/challenge begun and tracked here.

Fandom Snowflake Challenge, Day 10
 
Stretch yourself a little and try something new. Go play in a new fandom or with a new pairing. Try working in a new medium. Or check out some fanworks that are new to you. (The recs from Day 1 might be a good place to start!) Leave a comment in this [the assignment] post saying you did it.

I’ve been hearing, glancingly, about podfic for years. I knew what it was. I could even understand the basic idea behind it: I spent years reading my fics aloud to various family members, because I enjoyed doing that and because I was aware that a reader’s choice of timing, emphasis, timbre and tone and volume, could make a substantial difference in what was being communicated by the written words. I understood this, but I’d never seen any reason to actually check out podfic. With today’s prompt, I did so.

Didn’t agree with me.

I was interested, but listening to it being read was just too slow. I got a minute and a half in, saw that twenty-eight minutes still remained, and closed the podfic and followed the link to read the original story. Which I enjoyed.

Anyone who’s interested can read “I Have Seen Nearly Every City” here, or check out the podfic here.

Comments

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

I've never understood the appeal of podfic, but then, I don't often like being read to. Much prefer to do it myself. I did watch/listen to one a long time ago when someone asked if it was okay for her to read one of mine and gave me a link. I watched for a few minutes and just shook my head. Can not imagine why anyone would want to do or listen to it. Just not my thing. I'll have to find something else to try for today's challenge. :)

[aadler]

I actually approve of the concept in general, it just doesn’t seem to suit me particularly. The good part of it is that I wound up liking the story (reading it), even if I opted out of the podfic itself almost immediately.

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

I used to listen to the TED talks but I find it's so much quicker to just read the transcript and skip over to the meat of what they're saying.

I tried some podfic too, a few days ago, and thought the narrator was speaking too slowly and emphasizing in wrong places. I also would rather read it directly myself.

[aadler]

It’s popular enough that obviously there are plenty of people who like it. I’m a bit sorry that I wasn’t able to add this as a new aspect to my overall enjoyment, but it’s not as if I don’t have enough to occupy me.

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

I tried it ages ago and felt much the same as you did, but hey, at least you gave it a chance.


Gabrielle

[aadler]

And it wasn’t just something new for the sake of something new. I’d had very vague, very mild curiosity about podfic before; that’s been satisfied now, and I lost nothing in the attempt.

[snogged.livejournal.com]

Proud of you for giving it a try!
I'm not sure I'd like it either. I feel similarly indifferent about audio books.

[aadler]

It wasn’t much of a try … but then, I was only a little curious.

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

I have a long commute so I've listened to a lot of podfic as well as audiobooks. It's all in the reader. A good reader can make listening wonderful. That said, everyone experiences things differently and if you are a person who is more visual than aural it makes perfect sense you would prefer reading.

[aadler]

Could be. I suspect, though, that even with a superlative reader I’d still be too impatient for this particular medium.