THE ROAD TO WRITE Thoughts from Valerie Ormond author Believing In Horses South County Senior Center June 14 2011 Agenda Who I am and why Im here What works for me in writing What has worked for me in ID: 444943
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Slide1
The Road to Write
“THE ROAD TO WRITE”
Thoughts from Valerie Ormond, author, Believing In HorsesSouth County Senior CenterJune 14, 2011Slide2
Agenda
Who I am and why I’m here
What works for me in writingWhat has worked for me in publishing and marketingTips on writingFUN writing exercise (really!)Final questions and discussionSlide3
Who I am and why I’m here
Background
Why I wrote the bookShare lessons learnedResponse to “I’ve always wanted to write”Encourage others to writeEVERYONE has stories to tell!Slide4
What works for me in writing
Writing about something I know
Developing likeable charactersHaving an outline…but letting the creative juices go where they want to flowWriting like mad and editing laterPassion!Slide5
What has worked for me in publishing and marketing
Took an author’s advice:
“Look for someone who publishes the kind of book you write.”Developed a web sitewww.believinginhorses.comPainful, but necessarySlide6Slide7
Professional Author PhotosSlide8
What has worked for me in publishing and marketing
Talking to people
Taking some chancesOld-fashioned public relations effortsAppearancesTraditional and non-traditional (radio, twitterview)Social media, blogs, memberships Slide9
READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY
March 2, 2011Slide10Slide11
Blogging about successes
I
mentioned in my last blog that there was a story behind the music in the Believing In Horses book trailer, and here it is.I LOVE Gaelic Storm’s music. If you’ve seen the book trailer, you’ve heard their music. If you haven’t seen/heard the trailer
, click here
, and you’re in for a musical treat. Gaelic Storm is perhaps most famous for being the “band” in steerage in the movie
Titanic
. Their use of traditional Irish instruments including bagpipes, fiddle, and Irish drums combined with an upbeat rock flavor and lots of spirit make for a foot-stomping, heart-pounding sound like no other. When thinking about music to accompany my book trailer, the choice was easy: it
HAD
to be Gaelic Storm.
So, with my public relations team of one (me), I reached out to the band by finding contact information on the internet. I e-mailed people who seemed to be the ones who may be able to help, told them my story, and asked if they could help an unknown author. I figured, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Before long, I received a phone call from Gaelic Storm’s manager, Matt, from Nashville, Tenn. A few more details provided back and forth; Matt’s discussion with the band; and voila, I had permission to use this world-famous band’s music in my trailer!
The band’s one condition: a small donation on the band’s behalf to
Maryland Therapeutic Riding
(MTR) in Crownsville, Md.
As my Irish luck would have it, I was thrilled to be contributing to MTR. Without spoiling the book, a therapeutic riding center is discussed in my book, and my second book will largely focus on equine therapy. In fact, I spent several hours at MTR this week conducting research for
Believing In Horses, Too
, my next book, and am excited about future plans. What a fantastic facility with a tremendous mission and phenomenal donors and volunteers!
On February 1
st
, Gaelic Storm played at Ram’s Head in Annapolis, and this was my first opportunity to see them perform live. I’ll never miss them again when they are in town if I can help it. Go see them, and you’ll understand what I mean. After the show, I had a chance to personally thank a few of the band members, and was again struck by their graciousness. The photo above is with Gaelic Storm's beautiful, talented violinist
,
Jessi
Burns
, …. Slide12
Good old-fashioned public relations…NewspapersSlide13
MagazinesSlide14
School visits, book signings, word of mouthSlide15
Expanding horizons
Contributed reflection on Navy life and new writing career
Responded to “Help A Reporter Out” queryAvailable on Amazon.com and in bookstores June 15, 2011Slide16
Tips on Writing
Use YOUR voice.
“Voice is the personal tone and flavor of the author’s message, the magic, the wit, along with the feeling and conviction of the individual writer coming through the words.”Think about writing letters.Write ideas down anywhere by any means; don’t be critical of yourself!Consider who have been your favorite authors over your lifetime, and why?Slide17
Excerpts From “The Writer’s Boot Camp”
Active voice
is more direct and dynamic than passive. Passive tends to be weaker, longer and wordier than the active voice. Compare:The young girl was taunted ruthlessly by the bullies. She was found
in her room that night, by her mother, crying herself to sleep.
The bullies
taunted
the young girl ruthlessly. Her mother
found
her in her room that night, crying herself to sleep. Slide18
Rely on Vivid Nouns and Verbs
Adjectives and adverbs, used as auxiliary words, make your writing feel sloppy and fat.
The baby cried loudly. The vicious dog scared the little girl. Rely instead on vivid, colorful nouns and verbs.The baby howled.The Rottweiler
growled
at the girl,
baring
his teeth,
backing
her into a corner.Slide19
Show and Tell
Have you heard the saying, “show don’t tell?” This advice helps us to think in pictures. Compare:
She was too angry to speak. She didn’t know what to say. VSShe slammed the book on the table, and pretended to read.Remember to
use all five senses
—not just visuals.
In most humans, one
sensory
perception dominates. Branch out.
The hospital food was terrible.
VS
The hospital breakfast
looked
like lumpy gray mush,
smelled
like dirty socks, and
tasted
like dish soap.
(OK, that’s over the top. Still, consider the point.)Slide20
Show, Don’t Tell—But not always!
True, showing is powerful and puts the reader into the story, but telling is important too. Telling gives the work meaning and perspective. Consider:
She stood, immobilized, staring blindly at the empty room, the naked windows, the scarred oak floor, the bare closets. She had no idea where he had gone—or what to make of his leaving. The best writing strikes a balance between showing and telling. Do what feels right.Slide21
Other Writers’ Advice
Simple Steps for Telling a
Story1. Use a hook2. Tell the story3. Reflect. A story has five basic but important elements: the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution.Slide22
Final Tips Before the Exercise
You only get better through practice.
Visit online writing web sites such as Writing.com. Write4Kids.com is top-notch.Book reviews provide an excellent means of practice, and you can help other writers! Don’t think about it too much: JUST WRITE! Slide23
Now, the FUN Exercise!
5MinuteFiction – What is it, you say? It’s an adrenaline-fueled, instant-gratification sort of writing contest. Sound fun? Great!
The Rules* You get five minutes to write a piece of prose in any style or genre* You must directly reference today’s prompt: FIFTIESReady, set, GO!Slide24
Final Questions and Discussion
Thank you!