Audiobook Narration Practice Script · Literary fiction audiobook excerpt
Two Pounds Low
First-person literary fiction audiobook script: a quiet, funny, tender passage about a father who showed love by checking tire pressure.
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Length
- 220 words · ~1 min 28 sec
- Skills
- subtext, long-form narration, emotional restraint, breath control
- License
- CC BY 4.0
The script
My father never said he loved me. Not out loud, anyway. What he did instead was check the air in my tires.
Every time I came home, before I'd even gotten my bag out of the trunk, he'd be crouched by the front wheel with that little brass gauge he kept in his shirt pocket. He'd frown at it. He'd tap it. Then he'd go get the pump from the garage, and I'd stand on the porch rolling my eyes, saying, 'Dad, they're fine. They're always fine.'
They were never fine, according to him. Always two pounds low. Sometimes three.
I moved across the country the summer I turned twenty-six. He helped me pack the car, and he checked the tires twice, and then he stood in the driveway with his hands in his pockets while I backed out. He didn't wave. He just nodded, once, like we'd agreed on something.
I didn't think about it again until last week, when the tire light came on somewhere outside a town I can't pronounce.
I pulled into a gas station, opened the glove box to find the manual, and found a little brass gauge, just like his. Taped to it was a note in his square, careful handwriting.
Probably two pounds low.
I sat there a long time before I checked.
Script by SceneDub (scenedub.com), CC BY 4.0. Original script drafted with AI assistance and edited by SceneDub; any resemblance to existing characters is coincidental.
Practise it now
The teleprompter scrolls at the speed you set in words per minute. Tick "Record audio while reading" to capture a take; the audio stays in your browser until you download it.
Coaching notes
- Read 'My father never said he loved me' matter-of-factly, almost amused. If you play it sad up front, there's nowhere left to go.
- The eye-roll in the long second paragraph is affectionate. Let a little exasperated teenager creep into 'Dad, they're fine. They're always fine.' without turning it into a full character voice.
- Pause before 'Probably two pounds low.' and say it almost in his voice: plain, a little gruff. Then give the last line room and keep it understated. The listener should feel it before you do.
Try it three more ways
- Read it as an older narrator in their sixties, looking back across decades.
- Read it as a teenager who still finds their dad embarrassing and doesn't have the hindsight yet.
- Read it as if the narrator is fighting not to cry and only just winning.
Take it further
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Frequently asked questions
How long is the "Two Pounds Low" script?
220 spoken words, about 1 min 28 sec at a conversational 150 words per minute and 1 min 42 sec at a slower 130 wpm. Your take will vary with pauses and character choices.
Can I use this script in my voice acting demo reel?
Yes. SceneDub's original scripts are licensed CC BY 4.0. You can perform, record, edit, and publish them, including in demo reels, classes, and auditions, as long as you credit "Script by SceneDub (scenedub.com), CC BY 4.0" where you share the recording or the text.
How should I practise this script?
Read it silently once, then perform it with the direction above: reflective, dry, tender underneath, unhurried, ~140 words per minute. Record a take with the teleprompter, listen back, and try one of the alternate reads to stretch your range.