public speaking | Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers

Wordsmith’s Collective Thursday – Public Speaking & Interview Practice

January 23, 2020
mandyevebarnett

Jan 2017

One of the additional skills, writers need is public speaking. This can be a nerve wracking thought let alone practice for the ‘new’ author. There will be author readings and interviews as you promote your book, so knowing how to read from the narrative and talk about the story is important.

Here are a few tips that can help make reading your novel in public easier, once you have the booking.

Author Reading

Visit the venue (if possible) to become familiar with the layout. Ask staff where the reading will take place and if you will have a podium or a chair and table.
When choosing what to read chose a short section with dialogue and action. The opening line should be a hook that says something about the book and hopefully intrigues the audience. Choose excerpts of varying lengths and with varying appeal.
Practice in front of a mirror, ask a friend to sit and listen or video yourself. Notice where you hesitate and read the passage over and over until you know it well.
Once you are confident in the piece practice looking up to engage with the audience instead of having your head down buried in the pages.
As you practice the segment use inflection to elevate the language and avoid a monotone speech.
Practice your reading aiming to be shorter than the time allowed. Using a timer will help keep you on track.
On the day of the reading, arrive early so you can relax and arrange your books for sale in a display.
Ask someone to tweet and record your reading for later promotions.
Once you have read your piece thank everyone for attending and mention your books are available for sale.

Interview

There are several options for interviews, prerecorded, live and via social media. Preparation is important so ask as many questions as possible from the host prior to the interview. If possible have a list of the questions they will ask, this is not always possible but they should be able to furnish you with a framework for the interview.

Make sure you are dressed appropriately, smart but casual.
Have your book(s) with you and memorize the blurb.
Know the back story, the protagonist’s motivations, and the genre of the book. This may sound irrelevant but refreshing your knowledge will make the interview more polished. You don’t want to be stumbling with your answers.
Prior to the interview relax with some deep breathing and curb your nerves.
Keep eye contact with your host but also the camera (if relevant) so you are engaging the audience.

Here are some interviews I have done to give you an idea.

TV Interview on Arts Talk – 7th December 2011 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtIz3amV_HI Go to 8.22 on the time bar.

TV Interview n Arts Talk: Talking about Clickety Click and my other books on Arts Talk TV show – go to 11.04 on the timeline. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNl7Db_jGaQ&feature=youtube

Online for Authors Video Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfpGTAlbd2s&t=10s

Newspaper Interview:

www.sherwoodparknews.com/news/local-news/local-author-pens-fantasy-novella-sequel

15 Nov 2019 interview

Bibliophile’s Collective Tuesday – Generating A Story

January 21, 2020
mandyevebarnett

Writing Exercise

greyscale photography of car engine

At the last writing group’s sharing meeting, we were given these words to create a poem or short story in 10 minutes. bird, scrape, clock, envy, whistle, sunset

I am sharing my story with you.

Gerald scraped the ice from the car windshield, his breathe making clouds in the still cold air. The sunset made the glass a mirror of the orange and burgundy. With the screen clear, he whistled in relief and quickly got into the heated vehicle., relishing the warmth. The digital clock in the dashboard flickered it’s red LED lights at 9:02 pm. He looked back at the large impressive house, where his car was parked, unable to deter the feeling of envy. If only, I could be as clever as my cousin, Jake and get a job that paid that well. I would buy a mansion over looking the bay and hold great parties every weekend.

He put the car into gear and pulled away, unaware of the bird nestling in the engine bay, relishing the warmth. It wasn’t until Gerald drew up outside his apartment block on the other side of town, that he noticed the odd noise. As he got out he could hear fluttering and chirps from under the hood. Carefully, he opened the hood and fell backwards as a flurry of wings brushed past his face. He stood for several moments in shock but then relief that the bird had not been burnt alive. You’re lucky, he called as he watched the bird perch on a low branch lit by the street light.

These writing exercises help generate imagination and having a set time ensures we write without thinking in too much detail.

Event

I have an event coming up on 22nd January, which is an interview with a local arts TV channel – Arts Talk. I have had the pleasure of being interviewed by the host before – twice in fact – for my books but this particular interview is to promote and inform the local community of my local writers group, The Writers Foundation of Strathcona County. It is something I have done before as Secretary of the society but in a different setting. (photo)

WFSC speech 2016

As an author, I had to become ‘comfortable’ with public speaking for events, such as interviews and author readings. It was nerve racking when I first started but I have found the more I do the easier it gets. Like anything ‘practice makes perfect’ but it still doesn’t curb the nerves completely.

I plan to video a copy of readings this year so stay tuned. If you have a request for a particular segment of one of my books, please let me know.

Do you have any questions for me on my writing life? I would love to hear from you.

Inept – now there’s a word that resonates…

January 23, 2013
mandyevebarnett

Inept – Definition: 1) not suited for the occasion: inappropriate 2) lacking in skill or ability: incompetent

No matter at which point we are in our writing journeys, feelings of being inept plaque us. We can all make a long list of insecurities and worries about our style, skill level and current Work in Progress. My question is – if we didn’t have these uncertainties would we be a ‘better’ writer or not?

Striving for perfection can easily become an obsession and our work will suffer for it. There is a fine balance between a polished piece of work and a ‘ruined’ one. On the other hand expecting an agent or publisher to over-look editing and grammatical errors because we feel our manuscript is unique is a major flaw. Reading as a professional would, is the key, although this in itself is a difficult task after spending months if not years creating our story. We are engaged with the characters and their conflicts and struggles. They have become ‘real’ to us and the story runs in our minds rather than on the page. This is the crux of the problem – are we actually reading the words or playing out the story?

The Internet is full of writing tips as we all know but some recurring ones on tightening up a manuscript have commonalities.

Leave the manuscript unread for a period of time.
Read the story from back to front – chapter by chapter.
Focus on one aspect of editing at a time. i.e. grammar, plot lines etc. (I’ve even heard of one author printing her manuscripts on different colored paper for each revision!)
Have other people read it and critique (honestly).
Send a section to a professional editor.
Take advantage of a local Writer in Residence for feedback.
Read a section out loud to your writer’s circle and ask for comments.

However, feelings of being inept are not just limited to our written work. Are you confident in public speaking? It is one thing reading to a group of people you know but what about in the public domain? Author readings are a great way to present your work and create interest in your stories.

Practice the piece you are going to read in front of a mirror.
Take care in your selection of clothing, depending on the venue and audience age.
Choose a section or chapter with lots of action or intrigue.
Remember to look up at your audience and gesticulate.
Project your voice and don’t mumble.
Don’t rush – this is the hardest!
Be prepared to answer questions at the end.

The above tips work well for live interviews as well, either on radio or television. You may have some flexibility with these if they are not ‘live’ and can re-take the whole interview or a part of it.

Social media is another avenue of uncertainty for many writers and authors. Cherishing your work in a desk drawer is great but if you are serious about releasing it into the public domain you need to invest some time into this resource.

Research what type of social media, authors in the same genre are using.
Carefully investigate the multitude of options available. There is not a ‘one fits all’.
Pick the sites that best suit your level of commitment. (How much time you are willingly to put into them as it can take over your life if you let it!)
A blog is a useful tool to increase your profile. Decide on what theme, style, subject and frequency you can fulfill.
Link to similar genre writers on web sites such as Twitter.
Utilize your personal sites to connect to groups.
Utilize ‘sharing’ sites, such as Networked Blogs and options on other web sites. i.e. WordPress.com links to face book, twitter and Google +

Conquer your feelings of ineptitude with your ‘writing’ support system, whatever that entails. Whether a writing circle, close friends or family that encourage you or virtual supporters – reach out – you’ll be surprised. Remember to offer support back too – it is not only very rewarding but expands your writing ‘community’.