When we hear the word “help”, we tend to try to do just that (whether we actually want to or not!).
I’m sure a sociologist or anthropologist could attribute it to some instinctual trait, but the fact remains…if it feels safe to do so, people tend to help when asked. This is true when walking down the street, when shopping, and when trying to get better at narrating audiobooks.
“The best way to get good at something is to ask for HELP from someone who is already great at it.”
I’m not the best narrator, far from it. I’m just doing this because it’s fun and for a little passive royalty income, but I still want to be good at it. I figured, the best way to get good at something is to ask for HELP from someone who is already great at it.
When I first started out, I bought a USB microphone that could plug into my laptop, and I sat at a glass desk in the corner of my tiny second bedroom. Once I knew that narrating was something I wanted to do more of, I didn’t know where to start! Was it more important to get a better microphone or to sound-proof my corner? I see all the professionals wearing headphones, what’s that about? Do I need them? Do I need a better editing software?
How I Chose Who To Ask
There was no science to it. My husband was obsessed with a narrator named R.C Bray, so I thought “What the heck?” and sent the guy an email asking for help.
I was not prepared for the long, thoughtful, and HELPFUL response he sent. And since I’m not here to hide anything, I’ll paste the whole thing in a follow up blog post HERE.
I have also asked for narrating guidance from Jeff Hays (another excellent narrator, though if I’m being honest, his response was teensy bit conceited), for fiction-writing help from Ryan Rimmel (author of the extremely fun Mayor of Noobtown series that I HIGHLY recommend), and voice coaching help from Sean Pratt who gave me really valuable feedback about my audition samples.
It doesn’t matter what subject matter you need assistance with: baking, sewing, narrating, investing, writing, crypto-mining, singing, ANYTHING! I have found that for every professional that may be snooty or unwilling to help, there are 10 that are happy to help a noob get started with something.
Just ask!
