non-fiction Archives - Jeanne Burrows-Johnson's Word Empowering Blog

Dreaming Your Way to Success

DREAMSCAPING YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS

Have you heard of lucid dreaming? This is when a dreamer is fully cognizant of being in a dream state. Some authors work at learning to control this form of dreaming as a means for shaping their projects, regardless of whether they are focused on fiction or non-fiction.

DREAMSCULPTING YOUR CREATIVE PROJECT
Also called dreamscaping or dreamsculpting, this process allows the dreamer to actively contemplate the contents of a dream while asleep—and to question how these subjects may be relevant to their personal or professional living. Wordsmiths and artists are often encouraged to keep notebooks at hand for recording stray thoughts that can help them maximize future creativity. This includes placing a pen and paper by your bed for capturing ideas that may materialize during the night.

Regardless of your type of work, I’m rather certain that you have awakened on more than one morning (or the middle of a night) and thought, “Hmm, that was an interesting dream. Now what was there about it that I wanted to remember?”

For those of us relying on random ideas on which to build our shaping of words and images, it can be important to retain unexpected thoughts. I can report that I have benefited from vigorously striving to record the contents of potentially significant dreams. And I’ve suffered the disappointment of having forgotten to have the implements for recording anything before falling back into a deep and dreamless state. The mornings that have followed have been very frustrating. Far worse than a simple hangover experienced by authors of yore!

MY METHODS OF DRECTING THE DREAMING PROCESS
A simple Internet search will yield instructional resources for learning to implement Lucid Dreaming. As I’m not a specialist in this field of study, I’ll merely share how I have approached the topic.

After reading some background material, and discussing the concept with artists, I decided to delve into the process several years ago. I began my sojourn in this endeavor by placing a retractable pen and small bound book for journaling on my bedside table. Do note that having a pen without a lid has proven invaluable to my night-time note writing, since I’m rather clumsy and a bit befuddled when rising from a vivid dream.

Most evenings, I spend a few minutes before going to bed contemplating projects I wish to undertake the following day. Often, this is while rocking in a chair and petting my cat, which I find soothing on several levels. I then read a few pages of both meditative and mystery books. After turning off my reading light, I review my to-do list. I won’t claim that my contemplation of work goals is directly responsible for yielding inspirational ideas during the night. However, these practices do serve as an off-switch for my overactive mind.

As anyone attempting to call me in the a.m. will attest, I am not a morning person. Some of my best work is born in the silence of nocturnal hours. So prior to entering my pre-sleep routine, I’m already in a creative thinking mode. The number of hours I spend in sleep varies, but when most people are rising to their own days of productivity, often I am entering my deepest dreams. While most may seem unrelated to the work I envision undertaking, they are varied in topic and have a film-like quality.

RESULTS FROM MY DREAMSCULPTING
Having disciplined myself to interrupt the dreaming process, I can now report overall success in benefiting from dreaming with lucidity. Records of some of my dreams make it into my journal. Elements of others capture my attention sufficiently to be recalled for several hours after my waking.

Perhaps the worst challenge that arises from the overall experience, is being forced to fold new concepts into work I may have considered complete. Sometimes that means reprinting quite a number of pages of text due to a minor edit in their midst. However, I’m thrilled to report that expanding a character’s role by having her play a bamboo flute has yielded a lovely audio element to that scene… and an interesting twist to the epilogue for Yen for Murder, Book Four in the Natalie Seachrist Hawaiian mystery series!

Wishing you the best in your creative endeavors,
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson, author, consultant, and motivational speaker

To learn more about the award-winning Natalie Seachrist Hawaiian Mysteries, including Murders of Conveyance [Winner, Fiction Adventure-Drama, 2019 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards] and other projects, please drop in at my author’s website JeanneBurrows-Johnson.com . You’ll even find Island Recipes that might inspire your culinary creativity.

For more ideas to strengthen your Wordpower^© and branding, please visit: Imaginings Wordpower and Design Consultation.

Follow Me:
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Audible, Authors Den, Barnes and Noble, Blogarama, Book Bub
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Book sellers may contact book distributors such as:
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THE AUTHOR RECYCLES

NEW CREATIONS FROM PAST WORK

Is your pen at the ready at all times? In past blogs I’ve talked about examining your previous work as a writer. Not only does this allow you to measure your progress, it also provides a pool of sources for new directions in content and style. I am a member of the National Writers Union and the local chapter recently asked me to be their featured speaker at a monthly meeting. Often, their speakers read from current projects, but since I’d help to fill in the previous month with a reading of both the Prologue and Epilogue from PROSPECT FOR MURDER [the debut title of the Natalie Seachrist Hawaiian Mysteries], I decided to give a talk on how I’ve recycled parts of past projects. While there’s nothing novel in this concept, I thought that in detailing how I’d used pieces I’d created during my years in Arizona, I might stimulate my listeners to consider the ways in which they might draw upon works in their own files…

Wordsmiths Don’t Fall into a Single Demographic Description
When you look around any gathering of writers, you’ll find that we’re: Young and old; formally educated and barely literate in the grammatical sense; gifted melodious speakers and hoarsely halting readers; technical prodigies and flawed yet persuasive explorers of every topic imaginable. The breadth and depth of our compositions are as varied as we are. And usually, if we’re old enough, such variety will be found spread throughout our individual bodies of work.

In projects of both fiction and non-fiction, I draw on a background in business, education, and the performing arts. As might be expected, there is no consistent pattern to my output—except for the decades of public relations, marketing, and design consultation I’ve performed for executives and their profit and non-profit entities.

Forms from the Past…
In preparing for my talk, I looked over previous work I had drawn upon for recent print, audio, and Internet projects. Not all were inspirational gems of form, content, or style, but each item I had chosen to re-purpose fulfilled a specific need. With every new project, I contemplate how the assignment fits within the scope of my professional history. Not only do I look for concepts, data, and text that may yield something I can reuse, but also the bits and pieces that should be moved to the recycle bin.

…Reshaping for Today and Beyond
This year’s springtime file pruning produced some of everything. I found business cards, ads, and brochures that could be used for marketing workshops. As I continued my file and closet clearing, I eyed posters and signage that could be augmented with a large artistic label for some future event. I quickly dismissed them as ineffective for a speech delivered from a podium. There was, however, one item I could share: a copy of Stephen Covey’s famous matrix of time and productivity management. The gist of this true jewel of philosophy is that if we focus on aspects of both our personal and professional lives that are important but not critical, we’ll be better prepared for challenges that may arise.

After a brief introduction of this principle to open my talk, I noted how elements of past writing had been folded into my writer’s blog [for samples, please visit https://www.Blog.ImaginingsWordpower.com]. From project inspiration to background research, through the phases of writing and editing, production, and marketing, I discussed how I select issues that may be of interest to other authors and artists. In addition to mentioning a few of those blog topics, I provided examples of material I’d chosen to use in recent book projects.

~ When I joined with five other authors to publish UNDER SONORAN SKIES, Prose and Poetry from the High Desert, I contributed both fiction and non-fiction. With new and as well as re-shaped pieces, we all expanded our repertoire. Knowing that publication of Prospect For Murder was approaching, I included its prologue. I also featured historical articles such as “The Holidays in Tucson, 1878,” which I read at the NWU meeting.

~ In Murder on Mokulua Drive [the second book of the mystery series], I’ve drawn on notes from my studies in history, plus a series of oral history interviews I conducted many years earlier. This has allowed me to mention the first woman registered to vote in the Territory of Hawai`i in 1920, and to place a major scene in the historic and ecologically significant site of Kawai Nui Marsh.

~ The compilation of the oral history interviews, Conversations with Caroline Kuliaikanu`ukapu Wilcox DeLima Farias has indeed proven to be an invaluable resource. Carol was a dear friend seeking to preserve her family’s history, library and other artifacts. Descended from Hawaiian nobility, her recollections of life in upcountry Maui in the early twentieth century and dancing hula in Waikīkī on December 6^th, 1941, delight both readers and listeners. In reshaping the layout for a book of the seven interviews and an audio edition comprised of the original recordings, I described how this resurrected project is benefiting from the comprehensive glossaries I’ve constructed for the Hawaiian and other non-English vocabulary included in the Hawaiian mysteries.

~ Finally, I referred to the fourth mystery, A Yen For Murder, for which I examined promo materials I wrote for Highland Games and the Hilo International Festival on the island of Hawai`i during the 1970s. This led to having Natalie reminisce about hearing a remarkable young woman play the Japanese koto at the Festival…and decades later having that woman, then a Buddhist priestess, become the victim.

In the future, I anticipate giving talks on the authorship process, for which many of these examples will be useful. Of course, there will also be samples of flawed book covers, changing email addresses, and evolving reviews to reference. How does all this relate to your work? Well, I wonder what awaits you when you dive into your own files. Will you choose to build on your dramatic successes? Or will you determine that what was once viewed as a failed project may rise to the realization of full and positive fruition?

Wishing you the best in your creative endeavors,
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson, author, consultant, and motivational speaker

For more ideas to strengthen your Wordpower^© and branding, please visit: Imaginings Wordpower and Design Consultation.

Follow Me:
Amazon, Arizona Authors Association, Apple Books
Audible, Authors Den, Barnes and Noble, Blogarama, Book Bub
Cozy Mysteries-Unlimited, Facebook, Good Reads, Hometown Reads

Book sellers may contact book distributors such as:
Baker & Taylor, Follett, IPG, Ingram, Mackin, Midpoint, TitleWave

ACKNOWLEDGING MENTORS

Acknowledging our mentors is a key authoring strategy!

There are so many aspects to the art and science of writing that it is easy to lose focus of mechanical details while completing a project. Empowering your words fully means having access to our mentors and technical experts for fiction as well as non-fiction. Sometimes when we think of the people who’ve advised us about our work—or regarding life in general—it’s difficult to remember them all. But the demands of book publishing eventually require authors to compose an acknowledgments section. Beyond being a gracious act, it can be a key authoring strategy in gaining the respect of those who help you, as well as your readership.

In my own experience, I have learned that it is not good to wait until the end to begin documenting everyone who has contributed to your final product. The simplest solution to this aspect of the editorial process is to keep notes on the people and organizations that are of assistance to us as a project develops. As I have moved from Prospect for Murder to Murder on Mokulua Drive, and from Murders of Conveyance to Yen For Murder, I have copied the Notes and Acknowledgment portion from one manuscript into the next. After removing references that are not pertinent to the current work, I continue to make quick notes as I progress through each book. By the end of a project, I may not have beautifully composed text, but I have complete references that will allow me to polish the section.

The easiest citations to track are for people connected to a library, institution, or government agency. Of course, such organizations often have considerable turnover in staff. That means you’ll need to verify whether a person remains in the job you’ve cited. Strategically inserting a phrase like “at the time” allows you to recognize a person’s help, even if you cannot verify their position as you go to press.

During a professional writer’s research, some individuals will provide meaningful counsel for several years. In my case, this category of advisers includes both generalists and specialists. Having described my protagonist Natalie Seachrist as the widow of a naval officer, I’m fortunate to have a husband who is a retired Lieutenant Commander. When unexpected questions about ships and naval protocols have arisen, he’s been able to answer them quickly at unusual times.

There are also people whose contributions move beyond their specific area of expertise. For example, the late Kevin C. Horstman, PhD (who specialized in geological sciences and digital image enhancement) has shared concise knowledge of the realm of geology. In addition, he’s provided understanding of geographical features and general scientific terminology. This invaluable input strengthens my ability to write descriptively, and has inspired writing of passages I had not foreseen.

Through appendices and footnotes, an author can reference the contributions of such technical, scientific, or artistic professionals in non-fiction pieces. Unfortunately, this is not appropriate to most works of fiction. However, fictional wordsmithing can utilize prefatory remarks, or dedication of a book or other major work to recognize such people. For even if you do not realize it, a reader’s expectations usually includes a desire to gain insight into how you have researched and shaped the work you are presenting to them. This is particularly true in the case of a series in which you will hope to gain a following from one book to the next.

Audio books require additional levels of attention to enhance the sensory experience of listeners. As I prepared to produce the audio recording of Prospect For Murder, I remained alert to aspects of production that could fulfill a listener’s expectations. A major consideration was providing precise chapter breaks, so that listeners know where they are within an audio book. It was also important to provide a distinct voice for each character. As someone trained in the theatre arts, I know it is easy for a solo performer to become confused in presentation of multiple characters.

Fortunately, I work with Jim Waters of Waterworks Recording. His experience in audio production positioned him to serve effectively as my director, as well as my recording producer and engineer. One of the best formatting tips he shared with me for preparing recording scripts was ensuring each page concluded with the end of a paragraph and/or an individual character’s voice. In addition I utilized various formatting to indicate how each passage was to be read.

As this first book in the Natalie Seachrist series reached its release date at the end of July 2016, I prepared Internet announcements through Https://www.ImaginingsWordpower.com, plus a new author website, Https://www.JeanneBurrows-Johnson.com and a Facebook page designed as a simple billboard for announcements. For these and other purposes, I’ve needed a professional photograph to accompany cover art and promotional text. This task seemed straight forward. However, on the day of the shoot, the weather was muggy, the activity took place in a space using evaporative cooling rather than air conditioning, and I was definitely having a bad hair day.

Perhaps I should have paid a cancellation fee and rescheduled the event. But with deadlines looming, I proceeded. At the end of the shoot I learned that the digital photographic firm could make image enhancements…at $35 for each element they adjusted. By the time I would have had them amend several parts of the picture I’d selected, I could have spent as much as for the shoot itself. Fortunately, a friend’s daughter, provided graphic art fixes. While this valuable service does not fall within a normal range of publishing credit, in the future she may become one of my advance readers, and I’ll be able to acknowledge her professional services in my notes section.

In summation, there are varied means by which you can thank and give credit to those who help you present your thoughts to the public!

Wishing you the best in your creative endeavors,
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson, author, consultant, and motivational speaker

For more ideas to strengthen your Wordpower^© and branding, please visit: Imaginings Wordpower and Design Consultation.

Follow Me:
Amazon, Arizona Authors Association, Apple Books
Audible, Authors Den, Barnes and Noble, Blogarama, Book Bub
Cozy Mysteries-Unlimited, Facebook, Good Reads, Hometown Reads

Book sellers may contact book distributors such as:
Baker & Taylor, Follett, IPG, Ingram, Mackin, Midpoint, TitleWave

Interview and Oral History Projects, 3

PRODUCING TRUE FACSIMILES OF INTERVIEWS

Few people willingly give up control of their personhood to allow a stranger to delve into their inner thoughts. But those private thoughts are what an effective writer must access to produce a true facsimile of each interview they conduct. For as a professional or even an amateur writer, your goal is to meet your listeners or readers expectations that they are sharing your sensory experience while gleaning the particulars of why the highlighted individual is worthy of their attention.

There are four statements I can make about my perspective on the interviewing process:

~ The interviewer has one chance to make a good first impression
~ The interviewer may not get another opportunity to interview their subject
~ Despite a subject’s agenda, the interview must be a record of fact
~ Regardless of the premise for an interview, the subject may become reluctant to speak about topics previously authorized for discussion

THE IMPORTANCE OF PREPARATION
In several blogs, I’ve stressed the importance of preparation to conduct both general and oral history interviews. In contrast, there are some writers who feel that research and other preparation is unnecessary, or even unwarranted. I strongly disagree. I believe research is vital to empowering your words in the interview process. It will also help establish your credibility as a wordsmith who has mastered the art and science of writing. In short, it’s one of the best ways of demonstrating your skill at the art of communication and making your subject trust you.

Contrary to the theory that “winging it” in an interview demonstrates you are a “common man,” and therefore likely to establish a connection with your interviewee, I’ve observed the results of people who conduct interviews without appropriate research. For when an interviewer demonstrates little knowledge of their subject, their interviewee may judge them inconsequential. If that is the case, responses to the interviewer’s questions may be superficial. In fact, the subject may be thinking, “If you don’t care enough to do your homework, why should I care about your project?” So I’ll just keep the kernels of my truth to myself until the right interviewer comes along.”

SUMMARIZING YOUR RESEARCH
By the time you’re ready to conduct a cogent interview, you should have completed a great deal of fact checking in several areas of your subject’s life, including:

~ The historical era of their life and the category of work they’ve performed
~ Their biography and career…as reported by them, and as available in public sources
~ Materials they’ve published, and speeches and interviews they’ve given previously
~ Comments their colleagues and other contemporaries have expressed about them

SHAPING YOUR QUESTIONS
The bulk of your questions will be determined by the purpose of your project. In some cases you’ll need to conduct interviews with multiple persons. By asking parallel questions of each, you can compare and contrast their views of the primary subject, as well as one another.

Regardless of whether there’s any obvious controversy you must address, beginning your interview with general questions about the unfolding of the subject’s life, can assist in putting them at ease…if their mental processes are fully functioning and there are no hidden elements in their early life.

ASK QUESTIONS CHRONOLOGICALLY
By delivering the early portion of your questions chronologically, your interviewee can mentally relive moments with which they should be comfortable. Additionally, taking them through the recognizable patterns of the decades of their life may trigger remembrance of small details. This will not only enhance the interview itself, but also add color to your subsequent reporting of the event. This can, of course, lead to some sidetracking, but you should be able to steer the conversation back to the key points you need to cover.

Prior to, or during the interview, you may uncover facts about your subject’s life and work that are at odds with information the person has released in the past. In this case, you’ll have to decide whether to directly question these inconsistencies. Of course, you’ll want to keep in mind that true or false, the opinions of others may have colored the public record. Also, the perspectives of most people change with time and life experience. And, whether we like to admit it or not, everyone has gaps in their memory, without necessarily being conscious of it.

APPROACHING THE INTERVIEW
It’s nearly show time. That’s right. I said show time. While serious scholars and journalists may dislike hearing me say it, an interview is usually a semi-public performance. Unlike a play, the dialogue is not set in stone; unlike an evening at an improv theatre, it’s not without direction and form—for that’s your job. But like a play on Broadway, it will be frozen in time, even if you conduct subsequent interviews.

LOCATION OF THE INTERVIEW
It’s been my experience that interviewees often set and control the location of the interviews they grant. This may not be the case for broadcast media and bloggers with sets in which the subject is expected to appear, but you are probably not working in these situations. Admittedly, it’s best to conduct an interview at a site to which you’re both agreeable, but sometimes you must accept interviewing your subject in their office, home or other location of their choice. Nevertheless, there are things you can do to balance the situation so that you’re able to subtly declare your professional standing, while still putting the person at ease.

There are many authoring strategies that can help to distinguish your work as an interviewer. Establishing a good rapport can be the key to making the interviewee trust you with the information they’re imparting. To do this, you might bring something with you to enhance the experience. This could be an edible item, or, if you know they are fond of a particular author, you might obtain a copy of that writer’s work to share with your subject. Please note that I’m not suggesting you spend a significant sum of money to buy your subject’s cooperation. But small acts of kindness can help warm the atmosphere, demonstrate the thoroughness of your preparation, and make the entire experience positively memorable for both of you.

INTERVIEWER ANXIETIES
Anxiety will undoubtedly arise, regardless of your preparation. Despite previous contact you may have had with a subject, being in their presence (even by video conferencing or telephone) changes the balance of your relationship. There is another factor that may detract from your rapport with your interviewee: If there’s an aspect of their lives that makes them suspect in the eyes of the public, they may be hesitant about granting you an interview. They may be apprehensive about information you may have uncovered already…or what they might reveal in conversation with you.

ATMOSPHERE OF THE INTERVIEW
Even when you have secured the location for holding the event, you cannot be certain of being able to completely control the environment.

~ Despite previous agreement, additional people may be present during the event
~ As recording devices can fail, carry a back-up unit, cordage and microphones with you
~ Regardless of their response, your subject may be distracted by ringing telephones and other interruptions

As you set up your equipment, be aware that recognition of the permanency of the record of their interview may be upsetting to your subject. Even if you have provided them with a copy of your primary questions, they may dislike seeing the list set out before them. They may also have negative feelings about seeing any reference notes you’ve brought. But since such materials should be in easily read styles and sizes of fonts, you’ll be able to quickly reference pertinent facts, while maintaining eye contact and keeping the dialogue between you as natural as possible.

EBB AND FLOW OF THE INTERVIEW
Establishing and maintaining a smooth flow of conversation is a primary goal in the interviewing process. Regardless of whether your personal views are in accord with those of your interviewee, it’s important to approach what they have to say with a calm, if not fully open mind. This does not mean that you have to forfeit your role as the honest broker of truth. However, you can adjust your personal style of behavior and other elements to maximize a positive atmosphere. After all, as in any natural conversation, your subject will periodically lead the discussion. That’s fine as long as they do not deviate greatly from the purpose of your dialogue, or delve into personal details of your life.

SHIFTS DURING THE INTERVIEW
After opening pleasantries, you can help direct the flow of the interview by verifying the amount of time you’ll have with your subject. This establishes a guideline for both parties and should make your periodic redirection of topic easier to explain.

Although you’re guiding the overall direction of the conversation, information will arise that may surprise you, or at least call for cursory examination. This may occur because the man or woman to whom you are speaking may have talking points of their own that they wish addressed. If that’s so, let them express their concerns, and then try to deftly redirect them to the specific information you need in order to complete your project.

THE EDITORIAL PROCESS
Sometimes an author feels stressed about the relationship between the creative process and editing. As you review an interview, you will not only want to envision how you will shape an accurate account of the event that reflects truly inspired writing as well. One thing that can help you achieve this dual pronged goal is to remember that the way in which you report your findings may be wholly different than the substance and sequence of the questions you posed.

For example, if you’re part of an oral history project, there may be a specific format for you to follow. This generates a record that harmonizes with the results of other interviewers within the larger body of work. Typically you’ll prepare a transcript of the actual dialogue between you and the subject—often with punctuation or other markings to indicate accents, pauses, stresses, and other notable features of your conversation. You may also write an introductory passage explaining your methods of preparation and your evaluation of the results you’ve achieved.

If you’re working on assignment for a media outlet, you might have the opportunity to write a personable article containing both dialogue and narrative prose. In this case, you may be allowed to offer your candid view of the person you’ve studied. Be aware, if you’re working as a freelance researcher and writer, you may need to prepare multiple versions of your report in order to secure one or more appropriate outlets for its broadcast or publication. I should note that there are situations when an interview will be available to only a select audience, or may be held in private for release at a future time.

As you finalize your work on an interview, you’ll want to remember that in this day of permanency in data recording and retrieval, the words you shape after the interview will live as long as the event itself.

Wishing you the best in your creative endeavors,
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson, author, consultant, and motivational speaker

For further information on interviews and oral histories see:
Overview of Interview and Oral History Projects, June 2015
Researching for Interviews, July 2015
Conducting Interviews, May 2016
After the Interview, August 2017

For more ideas to strengthen your Wordpower^© and branding, please visit: Imaginings Wordpower and Design Consultation.

Follow Me On:
Amazon, Arizona Authors Association, Apple Books,
Audible, Authors Den, Barnes and Noble, Blogarama, Book Bub,
Cozy Mysteries-Unlimited, Facebook, Good Reads, Hometown Reads

Book sellers may contact book distributors such as:
Baker & Taylor, Follett, IPG, Ingram, Mackin, Midpoint, TitleWave

AUTHOR APPEARANCES

Writers’ Guidelines

MAKE YOUR AUTHOR APPEARANCES MEMORABLE!

Regardless of whether you write fiction or non-fiction, you will need to consider elements of successful advertising and branding for authors. The skills you have developed as a wordsmith will help you facilitate communication and networking with individuals and organizations that can help you increase your public visibility.

AUTHOR APPEARANCES & READINGS
You’ve completed a large project in fiction or non-fiction and it’s been published. You’ve made great progress toward achieving your goals as a writer. And if you’ve written an award-winning book, you’ve reached a major milestone in successfully practicing the art and science of writing.

Thinking the heavy work is over? You’re wrong. Seriously wrong. You’ve simply turned the corner from building a product to marketing it in tandem with your publisher…That is, unless you’re entering the world of independent publishing. In that case, you’ll be responsible for self-marketing, and need to maximize a branding program that relies on dynamic but cost-effective authoring strategies and advertising messages.

Regardless of how your work is being published, you’ll need to make promotional appearances. That process should include opportunities for your readers to hear your words, as well as to ask you impromptu questions about yourself and your work. Even if you do not have a strong voice or dynamic style of presentation, the public will want to get to know the mind and personality that has generated the material in which they are interested.

VENUES FOR APPEARANCES
In preparation for your work to the public personally, you can refine your oral reading skills by practicing with a voice recording device in front of a mirror. You can also hone your skills at a writers’ group, where you could work on timing selected readings. If you find yourself uncomfortable reading aloud, appearances at a small book club meeting may be ideal for warming up for larger audiences.

Once you’re ready for general audiences, you’ll find there are many venues at which you might share your writing. Some are directly related to publishing, such as book fairs and literary and artistic festivals. Depending on your reputation as a writer, your local radio or television station may have programming featuring local writers. This is especially true of public broadcasting in radio and television.

Since your goal is to sell books in every form you are published—hard- or softcover print, Ebooks, audio books, or online websites and blog sites—libraries and bookstores [local and national chains] are ideal for promoting current work and for attracting potential long-term followers. Again, your personal reputation and the involvement of your publisher may determine the ease with which such appearances can be booked.
Media Relations Dos and Don’ts
EXPANDING MEDIA RELATIONS
In previous blogs—and at https://www.ImaginingsWordpower.com—I’ve discussed the importance of connectivity with the media. With each public performance opportunity, I suggest you prepare an advertising message that can be adapted to public service announcement [PSA] messages. These can be utilized promoting the non-profit organizations (i.e. schools and libraries) at which you might appear. For while you may have expectations of selling copies of the work you’re promoting, your authoring events may be deemed worthy of mention in the calendar of non-profit community activities within your local media outlets and platforms, as well as virtual communities. They may also be of interest to followers of social media and blogs featuring interviews.
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COST-EFFECTIVE MEDIA RELATIONS
As you expand your community relations and get to know your media, you may be surprised by the amount of free media coverage you can obtain. It all depends on your practice of the art of communication, and I don’t simply mean effective wordsmithing. Hopefully your writer’s inspiration will aid you in establishing strategic media relations. Much of this will rely on pithy PSAs prepared as broadcast, print, and On-line media releases [you can find samples at my marketing website, Imaginings Wordpower and Design Consultation. You should also be prepared to attend business, social and community activities that will introduce you to members of the media, whose own work you may have been enjoying for years.
Empowering Your Words
ENHANCING THE LISTENER’S EXPERIENCE
Let me again state that You have one opportunity to make a good first impression. Remember that each time you appear in public, you’re making a statement about yourself and your work. And although your written work may be inspired and employ a rich palette of words, you must now present it to people who will be judging you on their sensory experience!

THE VENUE DIRECTS YOUR PREPARATION
Will you be speaking in a large or small room? Will you be standing or seated? How much of your body will be visible to the audience? Will you have a microphone? Will you be introducing yourself? Will someone be monitoring the time you’ve been allotted for speaking? Are you the featured speaker at the event, or one of a group of presenters? And how will you handle stage fright? I encourage you to remember that stage fright is not a phenomena experienced solely by actors.

~ The quality of your voice. Once you know the size of the room and whether you will be utilizing a microphone, consider how well your vocal quality matches the venue. Remember that unless you are providing your own Audio Visual equipment, there’s no way you can be assured that the equipment provided will work as desired. Therefore, think about whether you have the vocal strength to project your voice throughout the designated space if you end up without a sound system.

Although no one wants to give a reading on a day when they are not feeling well, you may not be able to cancel an appearance. If you are unable to read your material, you may need to take a friend or colleague to actually present your work, but it would still be good for you to show up (as long as you’re not contagious). When in doubt about your condition, check with your healthcare provider. If you just have a tickle in your throat, you can always try drinking warm tea or munching your favorite fruit to produce a clearer sounding voice.

~ Your appearance. Many artists and writers feel there’s no need to be concerned about their appearance or their behavior. But if you want to be taken seriously, I believe you should demonstrate respect for yourself, your work, and for the public who awaits you. What you wear may be dictated by where you’ll be speaking. If you’re standing on a raised platform, consider how your legs and shoes will look from the audience. Women may want to wear a longer skirt length than they normally do, or even a pantsuit to ensure they aren’t sending the wrong message. And don’t forget that use of makeup is not limited to women. Men, (especially those who are bald), are just as susceptible to having a glowing face that detracts whether they are on stage or on video. Also, the eyes are key to projecting a performer’s personality. A touch of eye liner below the lower eye lashes gives your audience a sense of being closer to you.

As to style, the casualness of ragged denim, faded hoodies and unshaven portions of one’s anatomy may seem representative of the artistic world. But ask yourself whether they best represent the work you are introducing. If you’re beyond the first two decades of life, consider more sophisticated choices in attire and overall self-presentation. Personally, I usually top skirts and dresses I wear to public events with a vivid Asian style silk jacket. Not only is this in keeping with my normal wardrobe, but since the Natalie Seachrist mysteries features references to Asian culture, this choice sets the stage for the stories that I will be addressing.

INTRODUCING YOURSELF
You should have several empowering bios by the time you’re launching a book. [You’ll find a summary for writing one on my website at https://www.ImaginingsWordpower.com/bios-to-empower-you.html] You should have brief versions in one or two paragraphs in both first and second person voices. If you’re lucky, there’ll be an MC or other person to introduce you, and hopefully they’ll read your bio without inappropriate ad-libs. However, regardless of your advance planning, there will be times when you must introduce yourself. And while it is important to have a well-written bio, it is useful to be able to speak off-the-cuff without any notes.

YOUR PERFORMANCE
That’s right. I said Performance. That’s what an author’s appearance is. You must present yourself so that you are memorable and believable as the author of the work you have produced. And just as there are many styles of writing, there are many ways in which you can present your work. In my opinion, the top rung of professionalism holds those rare authors who memorize portions of their work and perform it like a play…that is, sans script.

One of the most likely venues in which you’ll see this type of performance is Cowboy Poetry. One of my favorite entertainers in this genre is Bill Black, whose warm vocal tones are accented with more than a hint of North Carolina. From the moment he steps onto a stage with his cowboy shirt, hat and bolo tie, the audience is wooed by both the stories he relates and his personage as their author.

At the next level are presenters who place text within a folder. This is where I fall in terms of performance. I try to avoid treating my audiences to the rustling and flopping of loose pages that can separate easily and cause the reader confusion.

ONE OF MANY PERFORMANCES…
At some time, you may be charged with scheduling a group of authors to read. At a recent gathering of writers, I found that despite instructions to “read for about five minutes,” there was great variety in the lengths of the readings. Even when a presenter has timed their work in advance, the pressure of public performance can produce variations in the actual length of a reading. I believe that setting a measurable standard (i.e. three to four pages, double spaced). While some will read faster or slower, the overall time of the readings should even out.

DOES AN EVENT WARRANT A MEDIA RELEASE?
Event organizers will normally generate media releases. That’s wonderful, especially if they follow the details of a bio you submit. But there’s nothing wrong with sending out your own media releases if you’re a featured participant. You should include general information about the occasion, your role in it, and other newsworthy persons who are involved, so that your effort does not appear wholly self-serving. In fact, the sponsors should welcome your boosting the likelihood of media coverage. For information on this topic, see earlier blogs, as well as sample releases on my website at imaginingswordpower.com/media-release-samples.html.

In addition, you can send our post cards, letters, fliers or other announcements. Recipients should include people you expect to attend, as well as those who may not be able to participate but should be aware of your involvement. If event is open to the general public, distribution of your promo information via mail, email, and social media may add to the number of attendees.

No matter how well you think you have prepared for an event, something can happen to derail a public appearance. Once it is over, hold your own private event autopsy, if the event organizers do not have one. And don’t forget to send out a post-event media release. Again, make a point of mentioning any noteworthy persons or historical context who are of general interest in your community. Finally, upload a sample of the reading you gave at the event on your website or social media, even if you have to record it anew.

Wishing you the best in your creative endeavors,
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson, author, consultant, and motivational speaker

Suggestions for Dynamic Public Appearances are available at following blog posts:
Author Appearances, December 2015
Promo Materials for Public Speaking, July 2018
All the World’s a Stage, August 2018
Final Preparations for Public Speaking, September 2018

For more ideas to strengthen your Wordpower^© and branding, please visit: Imaginings Wordpower and Design Consultation.

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