Read an E-Book Week
February 26, 2009
Some readers are avid e-book enthusiasts. Others like both print and electronic books. And then there are those who insist that only print books are “real” books.
Often these people haven’t even tried an e-book … but they’re sure they wouldn’t like it. Wherever you stand on the spectrum, Read an E-Book Week is a good chance to learn more about e-books and get some free e-books, to enjoy if you’ve tried them or to experiment if you haven’t.
I’ll be giving away a free electronic copy of Spring House to everyone who visits and comments on the post I write on Monday, March 9th for Read an E-Book Week. If you visit and leave a comment on the March 9th post by the end of the day Friday, March 13th, I will e-mail you a free e-book (a zip file containing several e-book formats).
Check out the Read an E-Book site for other authors and publishers offering free books as well as lots of great information about e-books.
My Blog Roars: Powerful Writing
February 12, 2008
Helen Ginger at Straight from Hel has awarded me A Roar for Powerful Words Award.
In her post, Helen said this about me: “No matter the subject, he’s passionate.”
One of the things I’m passionate about is good writing, and this award gives me an opportunity to share some tips.
The rules are:
1. Link back to the person who tagged you.
2. List three things that you believe are necessary to make writing good and powerful.
3. Tag five others and comment on their blog informing them that they’ve been tagged with this award.
Here are three things I believe are necessary to make writing good and powerful.
- Get objective feedback … and listen to it. I’m part of a writer’s group whose members critique each other’s work. I get lots of valuable help from them. One of the most interesting things I’ve found is the differences in the feedback from men and women. Since I’m writing much of Adam’s Daughters in the viewpoint of a female character, Peggy, the advice from women about this character is making my writing better and more powerful.
- Use details to add richness and power to your writing. I write historical fiction so I like to add details about life in the time period, but every kind of writing can benefit from details to bring it to life.
- Fast forward or rewind in your writing if you get stuck – you don’t have to write in sequence. I’ve been stuck in 1788 and not making much progress on my book, so I fast-forwarded in the story and am writing a scene that takes place in 1796. Eventually, I’ll rewind to 1788, and after the break, I expect to find it much easier to write that scene.
I know I’m supposed to tag five people, but instead I’m going to tag any of my readers who would like to participate. If you’d like to share your tips on what makes writing powerful and good, post a comment with your advice or a link to your post.
[tags]powerful writing, A Roar for Powerful Words[/tags]
Texas Authors Speak and Speaker Linda Goldfarb
November 1, 2007
I recently attended the fall retreat of Texas Authors Speak, a group of Texas authors who are also public speakers. The event was held at the Halley House, a lovely bed and breakfast, in Salado, Texas.
Co-presidents Brenda Blanchard and Allison Pittman planned an excellent event. The speaker was Linda Goldfarb, a professional speaker and writer and the host of the weekly radio show Not Just Talkin’ the Talk.
Linda had a tough audience. Some of the retreat participants have been speaking publicly since before Linda was born. But she did an excellent job of putting new twists on things we learned long ago, demonstrating that even the most experienced can always learn more.
I highly recommend Linda as a speaker for anyone needing direction in public speaking. She’s not just talkin’ the talk.
And if your group needs a speaker on any other topic, check out Texas Authors Speak.
[tags]Texas Authors Speak, Linda Goldfarb, Not Just Talkin’ the Talk[/tags]
Books ‘n’ Authors and All that Jazz: The Biggest Liar in Texas
May 21, 2007
Donna Ingham delivered the luncheon speech at Books ‘n’ Authors and All That Jazz. The well-known humorist and folklorist calls herself the Texas Tale Teller and has been recognized as World Storyteller and Biggest Liar in Texas.
Her Web site describes her performances:
Humorist and folklorist Donna Ingham takes the ancient art of storytelling and gives it a Texas twist to entertain audiences of all ages. Hear tall tales, folklore, historical and personal stories told as only a Texan could–or would.
Although she has earned her reputation as a storyteller, she has also written three books about Texas.
She told delightful Texas stories, including the tale of Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight, the real men who inspired Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove
Updated 8/14/07: A correction pointed out by a reader. Rick really knows his Texas history:
Just a slight correction to your remarks about Donna Ingham: It is Oliver Loving who is buried in Weatherford. Charles Goodnight is Buried in a cemetery just off highway 287, East of Amarillo, at the unincorporated town of Goodnight.
I was so impressed with Donna’s presentation and want to emulate her in my speaking and writing career. Her enunciation, projection, and delivery were perfect. Even with hearing problems that usually keep me from being able to understand speakers clearly, I could hear and understand – and enjoy – every word she said.
Her performance was entertaining and educational. As a genealogist and family historian, she echoed what I believe when she closed her presentation by saying, “If we don’t write these family stories, they’ll be lost forever.”
[tags]Books ‘n’ Authors and All That Jazz, Donna Ingham, family history, Texas tales[/tags]
Books ‘n’ Authors and All That Jazz: A highlight
May 15, 2007
One of the sessions I attended at Books ‘n’ Authors and All That Jazz was “Converting Your Novel to a Screenplay: Screen-Writing From a Novelist’s Point of View” presented by Tom Townsend.
Tom is the award-winning author of twenty-six books, including seventeen novels, and at least five of his novels have been optioned for film. He frequently gives presentations to schools and directs military living history programs.
Tom also has extensive experience in the film industry as the owner of a documentary/historical video production company and a supplier of reenactors, military vehicles, and weapons systems to movies.
I found his advice on how to turn a book into a screenplay very interesting. I highly recommend that any author with an interest in creating a screenplay of a book hear Tom Townsend speak.
[tags]Books ‘n’ Authors and All That Jazz, novel to screenplay, Tom Townsend[/tags]
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