Illustration by Abstrusa. Please click on the picture for artist's website. Quite rightly, much of the focus in narration is on the vocal performance. The breathing, control, pacing, tone and expression is what makes a good audiobook.
But narration also involves reading. A lot of reading. From the preparatory pre-read while note-taking, to the actual performance read, there is a great deal to take in before it is translated into speech. That can be straightforward for many people, but some people may suffer from varying degrees of 'visual stress'. This may be so mild that you scarcely notice it, it is simply part of your reading experience. But it may be worth experimenting to see if you can improve your comfort, and therefore your fluency, to reduce stumbles or flubs.
But narration also involves reading. A lot of reading. From the preparatory pre-read while note-taking, to the actual performance read, there is a great deal to take in before it is translated into speech. That can be straightforward for many people, but some people may suffer from varying degrees of 'visual stress'. This may be so mild that you scarcely notice it, it is simply part of your reading experience. But it may be worth experimenting to see if you can improve your comfort, and therefore your fluency, to reduce stumbles or flubs.
Meares-Irlen Syndrome (visual stress)
Perhaps visual stress is most commonly known in relation to dyslexia. Around half of dyslexics may be affected by it, but it can similarly affect people prone to migraines, those with epilepsy or other conditions such as ME or MS - or those who have no accompanying illness. Approximately 5% of the population have severe symptoms, but 20% still have milder aspects, so it is not uncommon.
Visual stress can include symptoms such as sensitivity to light, movement and blurring of words while reading, discomfort from screen or page glare, and difficulty reading more cramped fonts. It may not be immediately visually obvious while you're actually reading, but can lead to headaches, migraines, tiredness from concentration and sore eyes.
The specific syndrome was identified by a combination of the observations of the New Zealand teacher Olive Meares and the psychologist Helen Irlen, working in California. Both women discovered that coloured paper or overlays could reduce visual stress in some readers. The most effective colours varied from person to person, and the results were variable. It was not a cure for dyslexia, but it could improve reading fluency in many cases.
Visual stress can include symptoms such as sensitivity to light, movement and blurring of words while reading, discomfort from screen or page glare, and difficulty reading more cramped fonts. It may not be immediately visually obvious while you're actually reading, but can lead to headaches, migraines, tiredness from concentration and sore eyes.
The specific syndrome was identified by a combination of the observations of the New Zealand teacher Olive Meares and the psychologist Helen Irlen, working in California. Both women discovered that coloured paper or overlays could reduce visual stress in some readers. The most effective colours varied from person to person, and the results were variable. It was not a cure for dyslexia, but it could improve reading fluency in many cases.
Reading in colour
It goes without saying that you should always visit your optician first if you are having visual difficulties and have regular check-ups. However, if your eyes are healthy, you can still experiment for yourself in whether using a coloured background makes your reading feel more comfortable and fluid.
This is, of course, looking at personal preferences while recording in your home studio, rather than arriving at a professional studio with acetate or perspex sheets. However, if you do find dramatic improvements in your reading comfort, it is possible to buy tinted glasses from specialists to wear for reading.
This is, of course, looking at personal preferences while recording in your home studio, rather than arriving at a professional studio with acetate or perspex sheets. However, if you do find dramatic improvements in your reading comfort, it is possible to buy tinted glasses from specialists to wear for reading.
Fonts
Reading flow can also be affected by the font used. The results of a study in Barcelona in 2013 found that the best fonts for increasing readability for people with dyslexia were:
Helvetica, Courier, Arial, Verdana and Computer Modern Unicode.
Fonts that were sans serif, roman and monofaced were the clearest, whereas italics made readability harder.
Some fonts have been created for this purpose, such as Dyslexie, Opendyslexic and Lexia Readable. The optimum size seems to be between 14-16pt.
Once more, this is only for home studio situations, but if you have the option to change the typeface, you could also experiment to see whether using a sans serif font helps your reading flow in your own studio.
Helvetica, Courier, Arial, Verdana and Computer Modern Unicode.
Fonts that were sans serif, roman and monofaced were the clearest, whereas italics made readability harder.
Some fonts have been created for this purpose, such as Dyslexie, Opendyslexic and Lexia Readable. The optimum size seems to be between 14-16pt.
Once more, this is only for home studio situations, but if you have the option to change the typeface, you could also experiment to see whether using a sans serif font helps your reading flow in your own studio.
For narrators who want to find out more about optimising their reading comfort, there are a lot of resources on visual stress, Meares-Irlen Syndrome, Dyslexia and related issues. Please follow the links below to find out more strategies and suggestions.
Reference and further reading
http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/dyslexic/eyes-and-dyslexia
http://www.dyslexiasw.com/advice/all-about-dyslexia/meares-irlen-syndrome
http://www.migraine-dyslexia.com/Meares-Irlen-Syndrome.htm
http://www.ceriumoptical.com/vistech/visual-stress.aspx
http://www.dyslexia-reading-well.com/support-files/italian_study_on_fonts_2013.pdf
http://www.dyslexia-reading-well.com/dyslexia-font.html
http://www.dyslexiasw.com/advice/all-about-dyslexia/meares-irlen-syndrome
http://www.migraine-dyslexia.com/Meares-Irlen-Syndrome.htm
http://www.ceriumoptical.com/vistech/visual-stress.aspx
http://www.dyslexia-reading-well.com/support-files/italian_study_on_fonts_2013.pdf
http://www.dyslexia-reading-well.com/dyslexia-font.html
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