Read It Out Loud! Tips for Public Reading

Public reading for a writer can be a time of great excitement or intense terror depending on the writer and the stage of experience. Last weekend (04/27), I had the pleasure of reading at Biddle’s Escape in Wilkinsburg, Pa for Saturday Night Stories. I have Samantha Barrett to thank for this opportunity because I absolutely love every opportunity to practice reading aloud because it is one of the important aspects of being a writer. Sure the whole writing a book thing is necessary, but how do you build a following with your readers if you can’t show them who you are?

By reading in public, of course! If you had asked me to read my work aloud before enrolling at Carlow University, I would have said “keep on trucking.” The fact is that the publishing industry has passed the publicity torch unceremoniously to the author. We are now plagued and at the same time blessed with the chance to hold the future in our tiny, ink-stained hands.

The cost, however, is that each writer must be willing to entrust the audience with their secrets. The stories aren’t secret because they can be published. Instead,  the author is sharing the intimate way they know the characters, the voices he/she has given them in private, and the joy that comes with being proud of one’s writing. For this particular reading, I was tasked with the “assignment” so to speak of reading up to 25 minutes. One of the most important points to remember when choosing a piece for your reading is that it is okay to go under your time (as long as it isn’t too much under). It is not acceptable to go over. This does not leave time for questions and takes away from other readers. Simply put—keep on or under your time so that you can show the best aspect of you in that short time. Practice timing yourself before hand in front of your friends or in my case, your cat:

See! She totally pays attention!

Also, the clothing you choose is just as important. Sure, we were in a casual coffee house, which normally means clothing can be as well. Nope. Think again. You should dress how you want your readers to see you. My goal is to show I’m put together and professional when reading to prove to my readers it is not a struggling artist that creates good writing, but one that is intent on success through their work. It can be achieved with one swift motion—dressing like every reading matters. To your future readers, your public readers are their introduction to the unpublished work and getting to know you as an author.

Finally, work on your presence in front of the audience by keeping mind the following and GOOD LUCK:

Smile. Smile. Smile. Smile even when you think you are because chances are, you aren’t smiling enough. Be happy that you can share your work with others it is a special moment to be cherished.

Take deep breaths and relax. Let your confidence show a little. It’s okay to show off while reading and be humble afterward.

Wait at the podium or microphone for the applause to be done. Bask in the limelight while you can. The applause is meant to show appreciate, and leaves time for people to ask questions. If you run off the stage, no one will have the chance to ask interesting, thought-provoking questions.

Always check to make sure everyone can hear. What’s worse than an author you can’t understand—one you can’t hear. Speak clearly and loudly for the people to hear the piece you have striven to perfect for them.

Slow down. Take your time and savor the words in your mouth. As you will see in the video of my reading below, I rush through the first section of my short story, and you can’t hear it as well as when I get into my “groove” towards the middle. It is better received if the audience can ride along with you through the story rather than try and catch up as you race ahead.

So, I leave you my darlings with the video of my reading. The short story is called “Stone Bridge Angel.” I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed reading and writing it.

Happy Reading and Writing!

Girl Talk and Writerly Advice to Get You Out of Your Computer Chair

With a fun night out comes the arduous and fun task of getting ready, especially for a girl. Last night I had the joy of going to formal for NY co-ed service fraternity dinner, awards and some choice dance moves were seem last night. Although it was an early night for me, I had a complete and total blast. So, I just want to share the insider scoop on how the long process or a girl getting ready for a formal event is worth it when the fun we have afterwards is just as amazing. Oh and I will be telling you…through pictures because I love taking them!

Why worry about what you look like when you can take a million photos of yourself in your old room. See below.

Photo whoring on the internet–guilt as charged, but hey sometimes you need to share the useless photos in your phone!

The dress I wore taken in a classy MySpace style photo! Complete with tutu and feet facing inward.

The finished product turned out better than I had hoped with my Elvis numb and amazing NYX lipstick in Chaos purchased almost solely for the name and link to Greek mythology. And you thought there wouldn’t be interesting writing in this post?

Overall the night was a refreshing way for me to get my head back in the right place for spring and a few more months of my practicum of writing. The above Kiersten was gorgeous and a treat to get to know, I am only posting this particular one because it’s the best one my phone took all night and plus I think photos of photographers in mid photograph are adorable!

Now it is back to the grind for me–two reviews one of Voodoo Season by Jewell Parker Rhodes and the other of one of my favorite books Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. I leave you with this last tip. As writers, we don’t get out enough. Take the time to step away from your writing even if something is due next week and dress yourself up. Take that you time that you keep telling yourself you will do later and DO IT NOW!

Happy reading and writing my loves!

My Bengal nightmare… I mean kitten

So it’s been five months since my boyfriend and I purchased our lovely Bengal kitten, Nyla and I think it’s time to introduce her to my blogging family. -Also if anyone has questions about Bengal kittens and is thinking about buying one feel free to comment your questions!

Five months is a long time. A long time for her and for us. It has been bumpy for both of us, especially Nyla adjusting to a life beyond her brothers and sisters. We picked her up on the road home to Johnstown, PA and she was already nervous about riding in the car, but we loved her nonetheless. She remained skittish for weeks after (as expected), but she was so small. And she stayed small. Take a look at when we first got her:

She looks like a normal 22 week old kitten, but now look at her….STILL TINY!

At the same time, our little furbaby has grown. The only time she hides from us now is when she needs her kitty time. I love when she crawls onto our laps or snuggles close with us at night because not every cat is going to be a loveable, cuddling pet. She hates to be held and cries like she’s dying. And yet she adores having her chin scratched. While I wasn’t always a cat lover, I have quickly fell in love with our tiny, Tazmanian bengal. The breed is expensive and supposed to have the personality of a dog, which incidentally she will beg for food and play fetch ALL DAY LONG. Seriously, she does! It is a daily activity that if we don’t play enough she will crawl onto our face and play with the toy claws at the ready.

 

At the end of the day even when she’s been a bad girl and clawed my hand to get a toy or is snuggling in the covers. She is our crazy bengal. They’re active, never lazy, and a cat with a dog’s personality. Plus they look and act much more like their wild cousins–snow leopards, which are my personal favorite. With futher ado, I give you a montage of photos of my precious little monster, Nyla. Enjoy your daily dose of cuteness and ferocity.

 

Note that cute way she attacks the bunny on the right and is so calm and quiet on the left. Bengals are mostly for experienced cat owners, which is why I’m glad my boyfriend has some experience. She is definitely a handful!

 

Such a wild cat when she’s awake, but such a sweetie pie when she sleeps! I love the one on the right where she’s using her paw as a pillow.

 

 

 

Nyla is my faithful companion, waiting for me by the door and snuggling with me on occasion. She even distracts me from work, so how do I respond. I write a blog post about her. She is my furbaby and I love her so much. She depends on me to take care of her, play with her and love her. And I will for as long as I live because I’m as responsible for her as I would be a human baby. She could hold her own out in the wild, but a human bred her to be a loving pet and that’s what she deserves. She deserves an amazing, wonderful life filled with fun and games AND TREATS!

 

The sleeping leopard of my home. Nyla, Bubbee, Captain Blackpaws, Bubster. She has too many names to keep track of, but she is loved in any name.

 

 

I have so many pictures to show, I can’t give them all to you now, but here are the best. I think the best way to end the post is with Nyla’s adventure today. She liked playing with my necklace, so I let her wear it. Here are the results! Happy reading/writing!

 

She played with it and finally it made it around her belly as a belly chain lol! Silly Kitty!

 

Publishing Woes:Blogging Edition

Good Morning my lovely bloggers and bloggettes!

Recently, a discussion has emerged in my prompt group about posting in blogs. See, we set up this group in our MFA program to continue writing prompts in the same fashion our mentors gave us in workshop. It’s a fun and easy way to keep our creativity constantly moving. Yet, my dreams for this group must be kept private from the information I just discovered. In our attempt to build a portfolio inches thick with possible stories and contest submission, I forgot one thing. How would submitting them in a public blog (to get readers involved and our names out there) affect our ability to publish?

While I hadn’t thought immediately about publishing these fun prompts that we were doing, I did intend to put my work in my own blog and even create one for the writing group. Regrettably, I must rethink that decision and even remove the posts on my blog that I’ve already posted because they’ve been holding me back from publishing my works.

Some contests advise that they will only accept unpublished work, and that includes any public publishing on the internet. Here is one example of the few exceptions that showcases how I view publishing:

For the purpose of this Competition, previously published material includes the publication or distribution of the entry, in part or whole, in paper or electronic format or in any other medium, including self-published works. This does not include a chapter excerpt on an author’s website, subject to the conditions that: (i) the excerpt is the only text that exists for public viewing; (ii) the excerpt is not for sale to the public, and (iii) the number of words in the excerpt does not exceed 10% of the total number of words in the work as a whole.

I feel like posting on my own blog shouldn’t exactly count because the purpose for posting on blogs comes in a variety of reasons. If publishing has also come from credible sources, shouldn’t that translate to how something is published online as well. Even electronic publishing has a specific format it must go through Pubit and other softwares to convert your text into an e-book. Some blogs have paid writers who PUBLISH stories and articles on the blog, but I’m not paying myself to post my ideas on here, so why should that limit the personal fiction I post as being published? Maybe my mind hasn’t adjusted to my possibilities in the self-publishing electronic world yet, but there should be a distinction in personal sharing and publishing online. Don’t know how, but there should because I don’t just want to sell good books. I want to share amazing stories with the world. Why should writers be punished with disqualification by contests and editors if all they are doing is sharing their work until it is ready to be published?

I might be a little off base here, but it just seems counter productive for a contest or editor to deny a wonderful piece that could potentially bring them business because the author tried it out on their person blog for a few months and may have received good reception, but I guess that is just the way of the world. I will have to stick to private writing groups and personal criticisms to get my feedback. Anyone else have issues with the publishing world today? Please share I would love to hear them and blog about them too!

 

Happy reading/writing!

Mysterious Interlude

This next interlude was written during workshop this past January, and it actually precedes the first one  I posted in chronological order. I revised the scene to fit in between two chapters. The prompt that began this one was quite exciting. Janice Eidus, our mentor asked us to include animals into our writing and this is what my crazy little mind came up with. Hope you enjoy and as always comments are welcome. 

Happy reading /writing!

The chatter of bones pierced the comfortable silence of an English courtyard on a cool summer evening. Nestled in their velvet pouch, the bleached bones were thrown with force into a decorative wooden pan.

A woman dressed in white robes knelt before the altar constructed hastily on the cobblestone. She had to move quickly because if she spent too much time in the open, then she would be shunned by her conservative neighbors, who would accuse her of witchcraft.

Purple candles flickered as the wind picked up, threatening to extinguish her only light in the darkness. Various woodland animals were sacrificed to build the collection along with her own ancestor’s. A hen bobbed back and forth along one of the paths, and unaware of her impending sacrifice. The woman peered intently at the bones, reading the possibilities that lie ahead. She would give the small white-feathered chicken as an offering to the gatekeeper, for showing her the future.

She brushed the caramel braids behind her back, the warm hue clashing with the cool cinnamon of her skin. Incense and blood muddled the refreshing smell of that afternoon’s rain. The ritual concluded with the ceremonial prayer to her ancestors, which the priestess fervently chanted, pleased with the answers the spirits.

 

Interlude

While writing a prompt with some of my fellow Carlow students, I decided I needed a sub plot to my novel until one of my secondary characters could meet my main one. I’m calling it an interlude because I’m not sure what the correct term is for the little scenes I am dropping in at the end of every chapter. Here is the latest one that I finished…about the bathroom. As always comments and constructive criticism are welcome. Happy reading/ writing!

The weathered one bedroom flat appeared to be a garden shed from the street view. Faded bricks held the place together with cracked mortar and a balding roof that lost patches of brown shingles every week. She stood in the 2×2 bathroom, which was large enough to fit a small toilet, tub, and a smeared mirror with chunks taken out of the bottom. There was one light fixture in the flat, illuminating the decaying tile floor as though it was the remnants of an ancient civilization.

She hated this bathroom, so claustrophobic and foreign. It felt as if the yellowing walls were scrutinizing every flaw as she undressed. Naked from the waist up, goose bumps covered her caramel skin as she massaged shea butter into every dimple and crevice of her torso and shoulders. She took extra care to rub the stretch marks and the scar protruding down her empty abdomen. Every time she touched the incision, she could feel the ghost of the child stir inside her as if it were still alive.

The lunar eclipse was minutes away as she adjusted the backless red shirt over her slick leather trousers. It was important she look perfect to share the good news. She had seen the future of the one who was destined to cross their path, and open a door to salvation.

On her way to the night market, Toussaint found her, sensing the powerful emotion coming from his master. He prostrated before her as a knight would his queen in the middle of the street, unbeknownst to the pedestrians hurrying home before the chill of the evening seeped into their coats. The woman gestured for her dark-skinned companion to rise, following her silently into the dark alleyways of London.

One Year Ago

One lovely year later, I have finished 2 whole semesters of my residency and 365 days with WordPress. I am happy to say that my year with WordPress has renewed my love of the digital world in addition to improving my writing skills. Over one hundred posts later, my need to share ideas and stories with everyone else is stronger than ever.

My initial reason for starting this blog was to gain a following for my impending writing career. My first semester at Carlow University provided a cornucopia of insight from those already “in the biz” of writing/publishing. One of the most tiring and necessary aspects of being a writer in the digital age is the need to make a brand for yourself. To have your name mean something in the world before you’re published can give the upper hand when it comes to developing a fan base.

SO, the first step is to sign up for a blog and begin writing–check! While I thought my issue would be that I didn’t have enough discipline to keep up with my blog, I soon found that I couldn’t stop. Not too long after signing up with WordPress I was writing two or three posts a day. I loved it–still do, actually. The insurmountable joy of pressing publish on an idea that you want to share with people who will argue, comment, and contribute is something blogging has made super easy.

In my third residency at Carlow (ending about two weeks ago), the concept of branding and marketing myself as a writer returned with a vengeance. It has never been more important for writers to join online writing communities, build blogs, and create a facebook page to promote the writer behind the books. One of the guest writers, Juilene Osborne-McKnight, expressed this need to blog and facebook, but she made it clear that if you don’t feel you would like blogging, you shouldn’t force yourself. While I agree that you shouldn’t make yourself do anything just for the sake of publicity, it is worth checking it out and trying it before you decide it’s never going to work. Sometimes the most unusual, unexpected things can bring a new perspective and style to your writing. And it guarantees you are going to be writing something, even when you’re stuck in the middle of a story or poem.

Any aspiring writer listening still? Go ahead sign up, it’s free, and you may find it is more helpful than just reading blogs about writing. Try writing a blog of your own