TWO WEEKS LATER...

I just finished reading the book into Garage Band and added the music tracks.  It was not as bad as I thought.  Here's what you're in for:

​1. In the beginning, you're going to be really excited. You'll come home from work and leap into your "sound studio" to record the book.  Then, you'll stumble over the words (if you're reading it yourself). You'll do another take of it. In the middle of that take, your room mate is going to yell things like, "ARE YOU GOING TO WASH CLOTHES? CAN I USE THE WASH MACHINE?" and you'll have to stop reading to empty the dryer, come back to read the same paragraph you just read because your room mate CAN'T WAIT TO DO LAUNDRY!

2. This kind of thing will happen for several days.

​3. By the end of several days, you'll be so sick of sitting alone in a small, confined space listening to yourself read that you'll find excuses to not read.  You'll do housework.  You'll balance the checkbook.  You'll call your friends and see who wants to see Wonder Woman on opening weekend.

WHAT I DID - EVENTUALLY - AFTER BEATING MYSELF UP FOR BEING STUPID

1. I used my walk in closet. Yes. The one in my bedroom.  Between the clothing on the rack and the soundproofing material from Amazon.com, it worked. Mind you - you can't do laundry, have your cell phone or anything else while you're reading. Especially don't have a screaming baby next door and a happy freaking dog that barks all day AT NOTHING!

2. I only read 10 - 20 pages per day.  I found this was perfect.  Easy to do in a 2-hour time slot...feel like you're making headway...plenty of time to make mistakes.

3. I didn't get fancy.  Just the book reading (with emphasis, vocal control...MAKE IT INTERESTING!) and some music.  Don't try for special effects or spectacular gadgets.  Save that for when you are more comfortable with the tech side of things.

4. I stopped and listened to what I had just read. I did this frequently. I corrected errors immediately.

Now the fun begins: getting the book from this "rough" audio recording to a finished product.

Wish me luck.

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