The Fifth Key: Confidence
Writing students often ask about style and study other writers’ work to try to win for themselves this elusive quality. But style is gained through confidence.
And confidence is the child of courage.
The courage to tell your own truth, in your own words.
Twenty years of writing, and working with other writers, has convinced me that the best tool for excavating a clear and confident writing style is F-R-E-E-Writing.
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This concludes the series “Five Keys to Writing Excellence”. Next week we’ll have guest blogger, Ed Patterson, on Revision.
In the meantime, here’s to excellence. Don’t settle for less!
Or as Robert Browning put it: “The aim, if reached or not, makes great the life: Try to be Shakespeare, leave the rest to fate! ”
Happy writing!
Orna
Reaching Readers Event Postponed.
We are sorry to announce that the Reaching Readers event planned for June 7th in Dublin has been postponed due to unforseen circumstances quite beyond our control. We very much regret the inconvenience caused to all of you who have already signed up for the event.
However, we hope to confirm a replacement date for the event to go ahead as soon as possible. Those of you who have signed up for the day can either request a full refund or we can hold your place for next time.
If you have any questions or queries please contact Pamela at info@fontlitagency.com or call 00 353 1833 00 84.
Watch this space for an announcement on the new date soon.
Meanwhile, Paul Kildiff, author of nonfiction bestseller Ruinair, kicked off his blog tour today with Amy Munnell here: http://threequestionsandanswers.blogspot.com and will tour until May 31st. He will guest blog, address reader comments and engage in interviews with his hosts along the way, so if you’d like to follow Paul on his blog travels and find out more about nonfiction or travel writing, check out his busy schedule here: http://www.fontlitagency.com/blog/2008/05/09/virtual-book-tour-announcement/.
Contact us on the above address/phone no. if you would like to find out more about the Virtual Book Tour phenomenon or about any other of the many services and resources we offer to writers.
The Fourth Key: Brevity
By Orna Ross.
Short words, short sentences, short paragraphs, short books. Sometimes you have to “go long” (I’m speaking as someone whose last two books ran to 600+ pages) — but unless you have a reason, keep it short.
Virtual Book Tour Announcement
It’s time for another Font Virtual Book Tour already!
This time it’s bestseller Paul Kilduff, author of Ruinair, which has just spent its first seven weeks of publication at No. 1 on Ireland’s nonfiction sales list.
“Kilduff travels to places he never knew he wanted to go to that are probably not quite where he thinks they are, and he is unsure of what he will do once he gets there; they include beautiful Beauvais, cosmopolitan Charleroi, electric Eindhoven, heavenly Haugesund and tropical Tampere.”
Kilduff’s witty travelogue is proving a huge hit with travel writing fans and critics alike. We’ve taken him to the wonderful world of blogging to tell others about his book, guest post for various great blogs, have his book reviewed by fellow writers and see him interviewed about all aspects of his career and experiences.
If you’d like to see Paul and his book in action, keep an eye on the following blogs for his appearance:
On May 19th Paul kicks off his tour by visiting Amy Munnell at http://3questionsandanswers.blogspot.com – 3 Questions…and Answers is a blog/zine about writers in all fields. The zine’s cornerstone is the Thursday night interview with a contemporary writer, but other content includes market information, profiles of historic writers and overviews of upcoming workshops, conferences and retreats. Editor Amy Munnell has been a freelance writer and editor for nearly 25 years, with credits in ByLine Magazine, Chocolate for a Woman’s Soul series, Points North and Georgia Magazine, among others.
On May 20th Yvonne Perry hosts Paul at http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com – Yvonne Perry is a freelance writer, author, keynote speaker and the owner of Writers in the Sky (WITS) Creative Writing Services based in Nashville, Tennessee. Yvonne has personally co-written, edited, ghosted or formatted over twenty books for clients–that’s in addition to the Web text, résumés, articles, bios, and media releases she has written. WITS publishes a monthly newsletter, a blog and a podcast to help writers and authors learn more about the business of writing, publishing and book marketing. Find out more at www.yvonneperry.net.
On May 21st he guest posts on Lief Petterson’s travel blog at http://killingbatteries.com. In 2003, Leif Pettersen was ‘Kramered’ into becoming a freelance travel writer by an unbalanced friend. In addition to being a regular contributor to Global Traveler magazine, an MSN city guide (Minneapolis) and a Lonely Planet author (with expertise in Romania, Moldova and Tuscany), he writes an almost award-winning, “slightly caustic” blog, KillingBatteries.com, read by literally tens of people each month, where he dishes on travel writing, Romania, Italian internet, his grammar deficiencies, Berlin, Jesus and his remarkable-gift-for-hyphenation, which offsets his inadvertent propensity for shattering word-count limits.
Also on May 21st you’ll find Paul guest posting on Jaime McDougall’s blog at www.fictionscribe.com. Fictionscribe is a great source for everything writing related, and is an encouraging and informative source on publishing, opportunities within writing, grammar and general advice. Jaime, more commonly known as JM, has been a professional blogger since she moved to Australia. She enjoys author promotions, interviews and online tours as well as giving book reviews.
On May 22nd Karen Bryan interviews Paul on her blog here http://www.europealacarte.co.uk and she’ll also post about the book here www.wandalust.com. Karen Bryan started her UK based online travel business, Europe a la Carte, in 2002. The site focuses on authentic travel in Europe on a modest budget. She believes that if you venture, even slightly, off the beaten track, you”ll see more of the real Europe. Her blog features travel tips, deals, news and advice, restaurant and accommodation reviews and guest interviews. The Wandalust UK travel blog aims to inspire you with an irresistible urge to travel. Wandalust for your wanderlust. Karen Bryan started as editor of Wandalust in March 2008.
May 23rd will see Paul guest posting on L. Shepherd’s blog, http://writersjourneyblog.blogspot.com, where she’ll ask him some questions on the day. L. Shepherd is a freelance writer living in the Southern U.S. She specializes in Web content, copywriting and PR materials. She also writes novels that never end and are therefore difficult to get published. The Writer’s Journey is a place for detailing the ups and downs of being semi-successful in the freelance writing game.
On May 24th Erica Johansson interviews Paul and asks him for writing tips at http://blissfultravel.wordpress.com. Erica Johansson is a freelance writer and photographer from Sweden. After studying at the London School of Journalism, she has written for various print and online media. Her travel blog Blissful Travel brings you up-to-date travel news, information, tips, and inspiration from around the world.
On the 26th of May he’ll be at Renee Williams’ blog here http://allthebuzzreviews.blogspot.com. Renee, from Southeast Texas, is an avid reader since her youth and loves anything that involves authors and books which led to her reviewing for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers and QBR The Black Book Review. Her reviews have appeared online and in national print magazine.
Deborah Dera hosts him next, on May 27th, at www.therythymofwrite.com. Deborah Dera is a part-time freelance writer and blogger and full-time student of life attempting to develop a full-time writing career. The Rhythm of Write chronicles her journey, with both positive and negative experiences, as she builds her career from the ground up!
May 28th sees Missy Frye welcome Paul to her blog, The Incurable Disease of Writing. Missy is a budding writer honing her craft on freelance articles and short stories. She’s currently working on a novel set in the modern world of Egyptology. Her blog, Incurable Disease of Writing, documents her writing life and discusses topics important to writers.
Pam Mandel welcomes Paul to her blog on May 29th www.nerdsyeview.com/blog, for an interview. Freelance technical writing pays her bills. In between tech gigs, Pam submits articles to travel, culture, and outdoors publications. She recently finished a guidebook about Hawaii and she blogs twice weekly about travel for BlogHer, the women’s blogging network. You’ll find her weekly posts about travel on Divine Caroline. She loves to write about travel - from local field trips to big adventures.
On May 30th Nick Daws hosts Paul at http://mywritingblog.com/writer. Nick Daws is a professional freelance writer and writing teacher based in Staffordshire, England. He is the author of over 70 non-fiction books, along with the top-selling ‘Write Any Book in Under 28 Days’ CD-ROM. His work has been broadcast on national TV and radio. He is also an award-winning short-story writer.
And on May 31st Paul goes to talk to Lisa Damian at www.damiandaily.wordpress.com. Writer and critic Lisa Damian’s reviews, interviews, and news articles have been featured in Blogcritics magazine, the Boston Globe, McHenry County Living magazine, Go, Girl! magazine, the Orange Prize for Fiction website, Buy.com, and many other media sources. The Damian Daily recently made the Real Words list of 40 Inspiring Writing Blogs. Lisa’s nonfiction book, Images of America: Trout Valley, the Hertz Estate, and Curtiss Farm, will be released in July 2008.Writing fiction in her ’spare’ time, Lisa also arranges monthly writing workshops.
It will be an exciting ten days as Paul guest blogs, shares writing advice, engages in interviews and has his book reviewed by many of his hosts. He and his book will be showcased to thousands of new readers.
Writers and Publishers: If you would like Font to organize a Virtual Book Tour for you or your authors, please contact Pamela at info@fontlitagency.com or phone Font on 00 353 1833 00 84.
Further details about all our online services for writers and aspiring writers can be seen on our Internet Marketing for Writers page.
Reaching Readers Online Promotion Event
Font Literary Agency & Writing Centre is delighted to bring the exciting world of online book promotion to writers. On June 7th next, Font will host a day of lectures, workshops, demonstrations and case histories in Dublin city centre.
This day is for everybody who writes or wants to write – from beginners, just thinking about getting started, to the established author who wants to reach new readers – and all without leaving the comfort of home.
The day will show writers how to ignite the power of the internet and bring their writing to thousands of new readers by setting up a web space that suits them and gaining the tools and contacts to build a committed readership.
We’re also covering the new phenomenon of the Virtual Book Tour – now revolutionizing the way writers and publishers market books. Our tour facilitator will speak on how to get your own tour off the ground, and what to expect before you take on the task.
Font is the first Irish company to offer Virtual Book Touring to Writers. We are currently preparing to tour Paul Kilduff, author of Ruinair, currently Ireland’s No 1 nonfiction title. (Watch this space for further details later in the week).
Facilitators on the day, entitled “Reaching Readers Online” include: Orna Ross, novelist and Founder of Font Literary Agency & Writing; Conor Pope, Irish Times columnist and Internet expert; Krishna De, Internet Marketing guru; and Pamela Moran, Editorial Assistant at Font Literary Agency & Writing Centre and organizer of Virtual Book Tours.
For more details visit http://www.fontlitagency.com/ReachingReaders.php where you can register immediately, or contact Pamela at info@fontlitagency.com. Alternatively, you can call her on 00 353 1833 00 84.
This is a must for all writers who want to harvest the internet’s potential for wide reaching, affordable and convenient book promotion.
Register early at the reduced rate of 145 euros and tell your fellow writers or aspiring writers about the event! We look forward to seeing you there.
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