Audio Insight

I've recently been doing a lot of work that doesn't require a great deal of thought, which isn't really a plus, but I figured it would be a perfect time to squeeze in an audio book. Off to the library I went, and I picked a known author, wanting someone I knew would be entertaining and fast-paced. Hence, I've just finished Janet Evanovich's Metro Girl.

I loved the novel. I love how much action Evanovich can fit into a novel. Listening to it gave me a new perspective on her work. Where my eyes would be flying over the text, this time I was kept at a steady pace by the narrator, C.J. Critt, who did a fabulous job (even if her website is horrid).

I was acutely aware of the pacing, the way Evanovich places introspection in the middle of action, where she inserts descriptive passages, how clean every sentence is. I'm grateful that I had this opportunity to listen to a book—I don't know if it's the fact that a different part of my brain was processing the story or if it was just the change between my reading speed and Critt's, but listening vs. reading gave me a lot to think about and inspired a few notes about what the new ending of my own novel needs. If there's an author out there that you, as a writer, would like to emulate or learn from, try an audio book. You might gain a new insight.