You’ve been considering this idea since 2018. But you’ve never managed to get beyond making a list of first steps. Why not? What’s stopping you from moving forward?

Almost anyone can tell a story. But not many people can tell a great story. Great stories inspire us. They are compelling, riveting. Great stories make us want to read and listen again.

Record your files in a .wav format, save a copy, and then convert them to .mp3 for uploading to web and podcast hosting sites, and for downloading to devices.

The Internet offers a surfeit of recording options. And the list of online recording services seems to get longer every day. So, faced with an overwhelming number of options, how should you decide which service to use?

If anyone had told me that my interview in the author’s home would be the first of hundreds of remote recordings I’d make on my own, I might have panicked and quit my job. Making hundreds of recordings on my own is exactly what happened. But those experiences unfolded over months and years, giving me lots of time to make mistakes and get smarter.

You could narrate audio books, online articles, or the step-by-step assembly instructions posted on a furniture maker’s website. You could become a radio play actor or deejay. With the right connections, you might even get a job as the voice of a character in an animated movie. But first, to be considered for work as a professional narrator, you’ll need a demo reel.

Many makers love the creative process but loathe thinking about distribution. Why? Because, as compared with the inspired fever of the creative process, distribution tasks seem mundane, tedious, and, in the case of technology, often overwhelming. Distribution is also associated with self-promotion, which makes some creators uncomfortable.

The most compelling reason to share is because you’ve made Something New. And the next logical step after making Something New is to Share It with the entire world (or maybe just with your mother).

A checklist allows you to do a quick pre-departure inventory, and then arrive on location full of confidence, ready for success.

Editing is an essential part of your creative process. And the more you do it, the more your listeners will thank you (and keep listening). With editing software you can remove uninteresting or irritating bits. You can move content around to tell a better story.

Many authors write for an audience that reads words silently, on pages or screens. But these days, authors need to assume that a recorded version of their work will be produced. Many news sites now offer the option to listen to articles. And most publishers release audio books, as well as print copies.

The room you record in matters. A lot. If your small room is full of hard surfaces, the voice in your recording will sound like it’s emanating from a cave. If your large room is full of hard surfaces, the voice in your recording will echo, like it’s in a canyon. And in either case, your recording will contain other unwanted sounds created by room reverb and bounce backs.

Maybe you’re creating a video slide show from photos you took during your trip to Timbuktu, and it needs a narrator — you. Or maybe you want to give your blog subscribers the choice to listen to your posts while they drive, instead of finding more time to read on a screen. Or maybe Aunt Millie lived in a Bolivian commune before she gave birth to your nine cousins, and now you all want to hear those stories.

It’s not that I didn’t try to record them. I did. Repeatedly. They refused to cooperate because they were afraid to sound anything short of polished and brilliant. And because they didn’t believe their stories were worth wasting any time on. They were so wrong.

Attention to details and impeccable organizational skills are essential for any audio producer. First and foremost, however, you must burn with a red-hot passion to create something new — an entertaining or informative story, music, a unique combination of sounds — something that no one has ever heard before.

Any successful endeavor requires persistence. But whenever you feel discouraged, remember ten-year-old Ezra and push on to victory.

You might not think about it much, but your voice needs TLC just like the other parts of your body. Especially if you’re a singer, teacher, narrator, broadcaster, or podcaster. If you value your voice, it’s essential to care for the vocal folds that make it possible for you to speak or sing.

Wise use of music and sound effects helps capture and keep listener attention. It’s challenging for listeners to stay focused on one continuous voice, or even a conversation. But, done well, music and sound effects pull listeners into your story by intriguing them and prodding their imaginations to fill in mental images. Bits of music can also create transitions and allow parts of your story to breathe.

We agreed that this project would not only scratch Connie’s podcaster itch, but it could help her process her grief in a gradual and meaningful way.

The questions you ask — and the order in which they are asked — determines how much time you’ll spend editing and whether, or not, you’ll engage (and retain) your listeners.