Newsletter June 2023 Māori Cosmic

The voice of TCC, the what where and hows of writing software resources, researching and gaining the power skills in distribution of the genre Māori Cosmic. And just a little bit more - in audio.

Theme of the throat voice - I think.

Writing software additional:

ProWritingAid and Grammarly check my spelling, maybe pronunciation. But not my writer’s voice. I enjoy the free versions of both and having not invested any further from there.

Other sources have been google docs and earlier, windows. However, as I found it is cost ineffective to have the windows paid suite. When there is so much free and just as valuable programmes available in today's well addressed and oft times better organised sites. It suited me better to leave off Windows.

Overused, Rephrase, Repeats:

And, call me lazy or lacking in discipline, to discover the truth of my writing ability. To find overused or too long sentences. That editing and proofing process, and for sure there are greater reasons for investing in those tools. They don’t sustain the un-homogenized TCC writing style and voice.

So I keep both PWA and GL to the very basics. For the reasoning’s that allude to my readers’ busy lives, multi-tasking, generating social media content and living on their screens and on the streets.

To expect the colonised child to sit and read a book of 300, let alone 500 pages of a novel, is to have unreal expectations for my readers’ time, energy and lengths of interest, dear I say it concentration span.

Where do I take this colonised child’s voice?

Māori Cosmic - Learning new Power Skills:

What a joy this exercise has been! Covering a lot of different media roadways and paths means I venture into audio and video. Several other platforms and internal market places. Exploring down these wiles landed me on the ever lovely and always grateful SoundCloud, as my preferred podcast host and RSS feed.

It was easy to learn how to navigate and use this platform. Though I don’t interact or engage with other Soundclouder’s, more because of time and mobility. But it is fun, and the research was straightforward to access. I created a free account for now. I’ll move over to the Next-pro subscription as I’ve made the commitment to continue my current podcast-long reads.

Podcasts:

This genre has generated my biggest growth in obtaining power skills. Especially in long reads. Writing scripts, and writing in-and-of-itself is my general quals. But there is a style to the method, nothing to do with writing, that was new to me.

Writing to record.

Recording audio is a skill I’ve had to adjust to learning and using. But with the likes of audacity and Wave pad, these made the ordeal livable. Which started out by me using my cell phone to collect the audios. Voice work was the essential. How to pace and timing of delivery. It’s been an age since I did voice over work in my last life as a professional actor.

However, the ordeal of editing? That took some time to practice my way out of and to find my way around the software. Especially their tools for enhancing my crappy audio capture. Because I do this in my apartment and to-date, it’s been bearable. And fortunately the audios come out listenable friendly, but they need to be better.

I used the NCH wavepad for recording and editing my first three episodes of my podcast Clearing Trauma from Discrimination - CTFD. But by the fourth, it was asking me to move up to the paid version. So I moved over to audacity which required I use a better microphone. And this has been an enhancement to my voice and the whole experience grew me in confidence.

I did as much research using google and especially YouTube. To find the best or most suitable mic for my requirements and settled for the Vonyx CM400B Studio Condenser Microphone Black/Gold

The difference is noticeable, and my next investment will be headphones. This gave me hope that I could actually do this. The overall goal is to make my podcast experience as user friendly for me, but most of all reasonably priced. I’ve discovered that as I don’t monetize my product. I look around for what’s free and better priced. The genre loves a good bargain but not a cheapo.

Research is the key:

Or as I like to call it. Snooping around and shopping for the best outcome. Planning and organisation take up less time than my making the mistake of jumping into things via the personality. Rather than waiting for the best invitation.

There is an enormous amount of information about how to start a podcast and where. As there is about writing, storage, computation, audience capture, engagement and so much more. I have no advice to give, but the end product.

Though in the last month my main research has been about distribution of my podcasts onto other social media platforms and or other podcasting hosts. So far I’ve made no decision on the prospect of YouTube or Spotify?

But this raises another issue. Transference of podcasts from one to the other. I’ll leave that one for the next newsletter tune up.

Till then stay safe.

Ciana Reimond with Waimātou.