The Voice Inside the Writer

[This piece is written about my experience of hearing the writers read out their works on the final day of the festival, which provided a whole new dimension to hearing and seeing the characters and settings in their novels.]

Something I found to be quite extraordinary was the emotions in the voices for the writers, who all created something so powerful when they read the words out aloud from the pages of their novel, bringing the characters out into the world and giving them life. Unlike the thoughts in my short poem ‘I am a child to my emotions' where I spoke about how we all recognize characters in a certain way, it is from the authors readings that this idea is challenged. The audience was able to witness the true uniqueness of these characters, and listen as they came alive though the voice of the author who created them. 

Though there where many readings on the final Sunday sessions, it was Helen Garner and Jason Porter's reading session that struck me the most, as they both clicked instantly with their charisma and remarkable sense of humour. They were able to bounce the conversation off of each other and create a comfortable environment for all if us, while we eagerly waited for them to read their pieces.

'Writers Reading' with Helen Garner and Jason Porter,

Photo taken by Erica Little

Helen Garner was first in her reading, where the hilarity in her incredibly sassy nature paired with the unimaginable reality of her stories made her piece seem surreal. It is the true personality of Garner; a woman who has witnessed and experienced so much in her life; that made the experience of listening to her voice together with the words she had written as something unforgettable. 

One could not have been taken aback by the deep and strong voice of Jason Porter, who read a hilarious story about a man who was having trouble deciding what movie to rent at a rental store while his wife was waiting at home. Porter's narration of the scenario created a much different outlook on the character, who would have sounded much more dreary if I was to read him. His voice, much like Garner's; carried me away into a whole new aspect of the character and his predicament.   

It is truly the voice of the writer that makes the story become more alive than it could ever become, as you abide by the knowledge that the words written in the novel are now coming to life through the author who shaped them. It is interesting to hear it in person from the source, as you become more in tune with the character, the story and their trials and tribulations.