Tuesday 13 July 2010

Burn before reading (out loud)

OK. If I've hit publish on this, it's because I've just listened to myself reading a post on Radio Four's 'Woman's Hour' (how many apostrophe's can you fit into three words?) and rather than wanting to jump off a cliff at how strangled I sounded, have decided that it was actually OK.

It's an interesting experience, being given the opportunity to read some of your own - pre-considered - words to an audience the size of Woman's Hour's. Nevertheless, that's what I, Sandy Calico and Amy from 'One More Means Four' did this morning. I wonder if the other two felt the same way about it that I did; on the one hand, I wanted to scream it from the roof tops to everyone I know, everyone I don't, and their respective friends and relatives. 'Turn on the radio!' I wanted to say. '10.00am! Tuesday the 11th July! Don't miss it, because it's likely to be the one and only time I ever get the chance!'

On the other hand... what if my reading was rubbish? What if I ended up sounding like that woman in 'Brief Encounter'*? Everyone might laugh at me. I might never live it down. And as for what I actually had to say - people might not like it. They might think I am a self-indulgent fool. The effort I'd put into crafting what I saw as a coherent, honest post might be drowned out by a chorus of disapproval over the meaning behind it. After all, it's one thing to put a post out there for people to read to themselves using their own voices, but to be given the incredibly rare chance to read it to them, in the way that I want them to hear it, and then they still think it's rubbish, well...

But I'm a thick-skinned cow at the end of the day. And bearing in mind that my blog is 'anonymous' - ha! - even if it has all gone horribly wrong, I'll get over it...

So what the hell - I'm going to hit publish now, before the radio programme goes out.

And I can always delete it afterwards if my worse fears come true - that is the beauty of the internet, after all...

If you're interested in hearing the original programme, it's at the beginning of this, and for the full version of the post I read click here...

*And just to cheer us up the first rainy day in 2 or 3 weeks, here's a youtube clip I found when I was googling Celia Howard and Brief Encounters (for those of you who had no clue what I was referring to earlier on). It's not Brief Encounters, but instead is a pastiche by the fabulous Victoria Wood, which seems to work quite well with the whole Women's Hour theme of this post. Enjoy!


22 comments:

  1. OOh I'm listening to you now! You're sounding good! First up too!

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  2. You are simply marvellous sweetie!!
    As your first Blog comment I'm qualified to say that.

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  3. Thanks Ladies. That means a lot. x

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  4. My mum phoned me and shouted 'quick mummy bloggers are on the radio!' and so quickly turned on just in time to hear you - you came across brilliantly!

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  5. I, being from across the sea, couldn't hear you, but I bet you were awesome! I wish I could have heard that!

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  6. Sorry I missed it. It was about 4am here. Is it on the web anywhere?

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  7. I think it's all terribly fab (love the Brief Encounter analogy!) Well done to you all - hurray, and I really adored your post - so true.

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  8. Thanks Elsie - and your mum was quick off the mark!

    Lisa, let's see what we can sort out... (says the world's worst technophobe)

    EPM, only on i-player as far as I know.

    Thanks HCM. But most importantly, what did Eliza Plum think of it?

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  9. You came across very well, in fact I think we all did. I told my MIL this morning at Toddler Group that I was on Woman's Hour reading a blog post. Her eyes usually glaze over when I mention blogging, but today she said 'ooh, fame at last'! :-)

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  10. Yay for you! Very exciting! Must listen tomorrow...

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  11. SC, you're a braver woman than I am - my mil still doesn't know I blog... Or at least, she pretends not to, and I don't discuss it with her!

    Thanks Mwa - hope you enjoy the feature, it's very interesting.

    Thankyou Modern - for the compliment and for making it happen in the first place.

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  12. Fantastic I am going to be listening to it tonight with a glass of wine... can't wait!!!

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  13. I listened and you were fab! Great piece. And it was lovely to meet you at Cybermummy.

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  14. Listening to bloggers read their blogs aloud is something no blog reader would want to miss for the world. And as I'm listening to you, I can't help but notice how good and natural you sound. Not a hint of the nervousness you're expressing in your post here.

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  15. Yep, no worries, you sounded brilliant - I was very excited to be listening to it, until my husband pointed out that I don't ACTUALLY know all the featured bloggers, I just THINK I do. Well done anyway, very brave of you.

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  16. well done Potty. I missed it but my dad heard it. I'll listen to the podcast. Was it fun? I'm struggling to find time to blog at mo looking after two smalls all day every day. Hubby just gone home after a wk here.

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  17. you were great - I love that film by the way and I saw the play in the West End which a couple of years ago - probably one of the best productions I've seen. I was worried about listening to myself too but it was okay. It's tv or video that's worse!

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  18. TW - I hope you enjoyed it!

    DB, thanks for being nice and it was lovely to meet you too.

    Maris, thanks. But that was all bravado on my part whilst reading!

    Thanks Amy - as did you.

    NWBI, but you do know us! Don't you?

    Paradise, I know JUST how you feel. x

    NM, thankyou, and heaven preserve me from ever having to appear on the box!

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  19. bugger! for once i'm in the UK and could listen to Iplayer, but MIL's volume appears to be knackered on the computer. but yay for you! if you did it anywhere near as well as you did it at Cybermummy, then you were fab.

    congrats!
    Pig x

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