The Road to Write

1. The Road to Write “THE ROAD TO WRITE” Thoughts from Valerie Ormond, author, Believing In Horses South County Senior Center June 14, 2011

2. Agenda • Who I am and why I’m here • What works for me in writing • What has worked for me in publishing and marketing • Tips on writing • FUN writing exercise (really!) • Final questions and discussion

3. Who I am and why I’m here • Background • Why I wrote the book • Share lessons learned • Response to “I’ve always wanted to write” • Encourage others to write • EVERYONE has stories to tell!

4. What works for me in writing • Writing about something I know • Developing likeable characters • Having an outline…but letting the creative juices go where they want to flow • Writing like mad and editing later • Passion!

5. 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 site • www.believinginhorses.com • Painful, but necessary

7. Professional Author Photos

8. What has worked for me in publishing and marketing • Talking to people • Taking some chances • Old-fashioned public relations efforts • Appearances • Traditional and non-traditional (radio, twitterview) • Social media, blogs, memberships

9. READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY March 2, 2011

11. Blogging about successes I mentioned in my last blog that there was a story behind the music in the Believing In Horsesbook trailer, and here it is. I LOVEGaelic 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 1st, 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, ….

12. Good old-fashioned public relations…Newspapers

13. Magazines

14. School visits, book signings, word of mouth

15. Expanding horizons • Contributed reflection on Navy life and new writing career • Responded to “Help A Reporter Out” query • Available on Amazon.com and in bookstores June 15, 2011

16. 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?

17. Excerpts From “The Writer’s Boot Camp” • Active voiceis 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.

18. 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.

19. 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. VS • She 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.)

20. 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.

21. Other Writers’ Advice • Simple Steps for Telling a Story • 1. Use a hook • 2. Tell the story • 3. Reflect. • A story has five basic but important elements: the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution.

22. 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!

23. 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: • FIFTIES • Ready, set, GO!

24. Final Questions and Discussion Thank you!