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There was discussion elsewhere about reading one's work aloud, for an audience. Which is different than reading one's work aloud to check pacing. When I work on a novel, I will read a new chapter aloud, walking. The practice checks for rhythm and pace, and has been a valuable tool for me.
But reading one's work for others is different. I tend not to read long fiction aloud. I'll do an excerpt of a nonfiction piece, or a very short story, or a scene from a longer story. But poems are usually best. And to get past that quaver in the voice, that constriction in the throat and the shaking hands, I recite my "party piece." It's one of the few, perhaps the only, poem I've written that rhymes end lines, and is in recognizable meter. It was written to exorcize a personal bugaboo, but it is both humorous and spooky, and generally gets a good reception.
Having used the poem to break the ice, and having gotten a bit of positive reception, I can go on to other things, given time. Of course if there is no positive response, I just slink quietly away in search of hemlock.
But reading one's work for others is different. I tend not to read long fiction aloud. I'll do an excerpt of a nonfiction piece, or a very short story, or a scene from a longer story. But poems are usually best. And to get past that quaver in the voice, that constriction in the throat and the shaking hands, I recite my "party piece." It's one of the few, perhaps the only, poem I've written that rhymes end lines, and is in recognizable meter. It was written to exorcize a personal bugaboo, but it is both humorous and spooky, and generally gets a good reception.
Having used the poem to break the ice, and having gotten a bit of positive reception, I can go on to other things, given time. Of course if there is no positive response, I just slink quietly away in search of hemlock.