• About

Christopher D. Ochs

~ Dare to Defy the Unknown

Christopher D. Ochs

Category Archives: Voice Talent

Work and fun (hopefully at the same time!) with my voice

My New Year Resolution? 600 dpi!

05 Wednesday Jan 2022

Posted by Christopher D. Ochs in Author, General, Voice Talent

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

anthology, audiobook, novel, resolutions, short fiction, writing

Normally, I don’t do resolutions. But since the past few years have been anything but ordinary, maybe it’s time to fall in line with the trend. I think I have good chance to achieve all these resolutions:

  • Publish a short story in a magazine.
  • Edit my short fiction “Man of His Word” for 2022’s BWG anthology “Element of Mystery”
  • Publish in at least one other anthology.
  • Crank out at least one book. Finish the draft, and get as far into editing and searching for a agent/publisher as time allows.
  • Produce an audiobook!
  • Resume a healthy lifestyle, and lose my Covid-19 weight.
“Man of His Word”
in BWG’s 7th Anthology!

Resolutions that I don’t hold out much hope for…

  • Invent a new sport called “Ochsball”.
  • Overthrow the government of a country. I think I’ll start small, probably Nauru or Tuvalu. Whichever has the least number of insects. Or spiders.
  • Finish a self-paced course on auto-appendectomy.
  • Learn scuba diving, and visit R’lyeh.
  • Dump a bottle of Rogaine on Jeff Bezo’s head.

Wish me luck!

New Toys!

09 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by Christopher D. Ochs in Author, Voice Talent

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

audiobook, Blue Yeti, recording studio, Sennheiser, SoundForge

I feel like a kid on Christmas! I hooked up my brand spankin’ new HP laptop, Blue Yeti pro mike and Sennheiser SD202 headphones, loaded Audacity onto the PC and took it for a spin.  One of the easiest things to put together, I am happy and relieved to report.  Whaddya know, for the first time in my decades-long experience with computers, plug-and-play actually worked out of the box!

new_toysA portable recording studio as easy as you please.  And with Sony SoundForge on my workhorse desktop, I can finally get to work on my audiobook(s), and contract out work for others.

 

The Multi-Task Master?

29 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by Christopher D. Ochs in Animator, Author, Voice Talent

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

GLVWG, Kristen Lamb, OTAKON

“Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo!
So little time. So much to know!”
Jeremy Hillary Boob, Ph.D, the Nowhere Man, “Yellow Submarine”

nowhere-man-day

I’m in a phase of my work, where I’ve got the following irons in the fire:

  • Pitching and sending query letters to agents for my mirthful macabre short story anthology, “No Children Aloud”
  • Preparing the 2nd edition of “Pindlebryth of Lenland – The Five Artifacts”
  • Ramping up a new computer and recording equipment for voice-over work
  • Trying to keep up my social media presence
  • Participating in three writers groups’ critique circles
  • OTAKON 2015 in less than 1 month!
  • Coordinator, GLVWG 2016 Anthology
  • Outlining Pindlebryth II
  • Converting my CGI animation portfolio to HDTV format
  • Somehow crowbar in time for a social life

Several of my fellow authors, not the least of whom is Kristen Lamb, have given me copious amounts of useful advice on how to multi-task all the activities that are required of the modern author. I see it can be done, as there are so many success stories to draw from. But there are still days where I feel like the guy in the Progressive commercial, who walks up to a chain saw juggler and says, “OK, I got this!”

prog_chain_juggle_hand

About a decade ago in a previous business life, my department head observed the whirlwind of activity at my desk and computer.  Shaking his head in disbelief and admiration, he complimented me with “How do you work on of all these projects at once?”
Though I still plow merrily along, I am forced to confess these days it is not as easy as it used to be!

In Praise of Talking to Myself

04 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by Christopher D. Ochs in Author, Voice Talent

≈ 1 Comment

I woke up this morning at 4 a.m.
And I started talking to myself.

Taking those statements at face value, it sounds like I should be locked up somewhere.  But I have found the act of talking to myself to be an invaluable tool.

The Creative Process

It is well documented that Thomas Edison recorded ideas for his inventions in several notebooks; and that he hated sleep, preferring catnaps to long hours of slumber.  On several occasions, I had heard that Edison practiced sleeping with a bell and a notebook in hand – so that when he began to nod off, the bell would ring and he could immediately write down the ideas that his shadowy subconscious mind would generate.  I have found no solid documentation such a thing actually happened, and therefore surmise that this American legend was born out of a combination of the documented facts.

While I certainly would not count myself in Edison’s stratosphere of creativity, I find that my best story ideas and twists come in the dead of night.  But I don’t have a notepad next to my bed, nor do I intend to start such a practice.  I, unlike Edison, enjoy a solid 6-8 hours communing with Hypnos.

But I do often have my best ideas in the middle of the night. This morning’s bout of insomnia was a perfect example. So, how do I capture them?

A good friend, author Christine Bush, commiserated that she also wakes up in the middle of the night with good ideas. She would promise herself that she would write them down first thing in the morning, and then nod back off. But come the dawn, she could not for the life of her recall one whit of the brainstorm. I suggested she do what I do.  While I don’t write down the dream-inspired ideas, I speak them out loud before going back to sleep. For me at least, the process of engaging a different part of the brain, normally inactive during REM sleep, solidifies the memory.

Like any advice, I have to add the proviso — “It works for me. Your mileage may vary*.”

The Editing Process

I thought I was terribly clever when I started the practice of reading my drafts out loud, as part of my editing and error-correcting process. Several writers have since told me that it is a common and highly recommended practice. (Months later, I had to repress a snicker when a keynote speaker of a writer’s conference touted this important point with all the earnest fervor as if she were Champollion revealing the secret of the Rosetta Stone.)

However, I have come to the conclusion that I have added something novel to that process.  That being said, if someone has already come up with this practice, I doff my cap to them. But I still document this process here in hopes it may help others.

When I read my drafts out loud, I record about an hour’s worth with my microphone and Sound Forge (voice talent, remember?). I fold my arms and force myself not to touch the keyboard during the reading. I try to keep the reading as emotionally flat as possible, and slow enough that each syllable is enunciated clearly. I do, however, interrupt the reading to pepper the verbal flow with editorial commentary. For example, after a sentence I might add: “choose a better word”, “that just scans bad”, “sounds awkward”, “split up this run-on”, “it’s there, not their“, etc. Quite often, I would stop in a middle of a paragraph and leave myself an audio equivalent of a post-it note: “check if this is consistent with what happened in Chapter X”, “this gives me an idea – add XYZ to the next chapter’s outline”, etc.  After fetching a fresh cup of joe, I play back the audio file. Then, and only then, do I edit the draft text according to what I said in the recording.

I have found this process to greatly enhance the simple process of reading drafts aloud, because it engages several parts of the brain simultaneously – reading, speaking, listening.  When all three logic centers are actively engaged, a synergy occurs illuminating all sorts of errors and inconsistencies.  I can attest to that, because each and every step of this process helped me uncover new errors in the drafts, even during the final step of reading along with my recorded voice.

I hope this helps, and that you find talking out loud to yourself a useful tool.

* Yes, I know there’s a common social media acronym for this. I choose not to use it.

Another Lost Weekend – OTAKON XXI

21 Thursday Aug 2014

Posted by Christopher D. Ochs in Voice Talent

≈ Leave a comment

During the weekend of August 8-10 2014, I volunteered at OTAKON XXI. I’ve been a member of staff for 20 of those 21 years (less 2 due to medical reasons). Once again, in addition to being a worker bee in the Gofer Department, I (as “The Voice of OTAKON”) introduced Saturday’s Masquerade/Cosplay along with Friday’s Altima and Sunday’s Yoshiki X-Japan concerts.
I wish I had taken my camera, because a few of the costumes were absolutely stunning – my favorite was the Nature Spirit from Miyazaki’s “Mononoke Hime”. During the concerts, I especially appreciated the work of Altima’s “Sato” and Yoshiki himself. Sato was the instrumental workhorse of the Altima group, playing the synths and electric guitar, and Yoshiki led his string quartet and hard-rocking X-Japan compatriots from his piano and synth. But then, I’m biased because I, too, am a keyboardist. So there.
One would think that I would be an old hand at this shtick, but I still get butterflies when I address, cajole, and joke around with a concert hall filled with excited anime fans. (The largest audience was when I introduced L’Arc En Ciel in 2004, and TMRevolution in 2013 – you really haven’t experienced stage fright until you’re in front of 12000 screaming fans, led by a thousand frantic Japanese fangirls!) My favorite was also in 2013, when I introduced Yoko Kanno – a delightful person, an accomplished composer and marvelous talent. I had the privilege of watching her perform from the wings, where I could observe and crib her piano technique!

ota_pepink

August 2022
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Jan    
Follow Christopher D. Ochs on WordPress.com

Official CDOchs Author Facebook Page

Official CDOchs Author Facebook Page

Blog-I-Verse

  • darkdispatch.wordpress.com/
  • The Book Smugglers
  • Fairy Tale of the Month
  • Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group
  • Kristen Lamb
  • Jane Friedman
  • D.T. Krippene
  • The Daily Post
  • WordPress.com News

Currently Reading

Categories

  • Animator
  • Author
  • Composer
  • General
  • Movies
  • Uncategorized
  • Voice Talent

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

darkdispatch.wordpress.com/

The Book Smugglers

Smuggling Since 2007 | Reviewing SF & YA since 2008

Fairy Tale of the Month

Reflections and Delusions

Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group

Kristen Lamb

Author, Blogger, Social Media Jedi

Jane Friedman

D.T. Krippene

Searching for Light in the Darkness

The Daily Post

The Art and Craft of Blogging

WordPress.com News

The latest news on WordPress.com and the WordPress community.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Christopher D. Ochs
    • Join 68 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Christopher D. Ochs
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...