Reedsy Review

Disclaimer- This post is based upon my opinions and experience. This is meant for informational purposes and is in no way connected to Reedsy.com. 


A few months ago, a client asked me what I knew about Reedsy, a European based site that provides freelance writers and editors services for clients. They state that their freelancers are vetted and that they only provide services from top tiered providers.

So, I tried it out and put in my application- which essentially was material for my profile on Reedsy. The staff looked at it, asked some questions, and made some suggestions for changes. I then met with one of the owners via Skype and we had a lovely chat and I was in.

My profile went live on the site and I waited. Over the past two months I have received messages from two potential clients, and neither of them amounted to much, and in fact they just stopped responding.

The first potential client was not ready to write a book. They were waiting for funding and said maybe next year if they got funding they would be in touch- maybe.

The second potential buyer I felt was hunting for writers and editors for his own business.

There is a strict (but fair) rule about responding quickly to requests of potential clients, but I can say the same is not true of the clients. Clients can choose a number of potential providers at a time to talk to. One of things I did not like were clients wanting written samples of other ghostwritten pieces. Much of my work is already attached to my profile- which obviously they do not look at, and as a ghostwriter- most of my best work as a ghostwriter is under a NDA contract.

It seems that ghostwriting is a new addition to Reedsy, and so maybe they are still figuring out the process. They have now included a "contract" template that we are to use with clients. It seems to be better suited to editors and graphic artists which are the flagship for Reedsy.

I recently had another colleague that was wanting to find a content editor for her book. Reedsy is a good option for her to find a provider- and so I contacted them about their referral program. Their  referral program is a $25 credit. I say credit- because it can only be used on Reedsy Marketplace.

One thing I do like is their process of paying. It is set up through a system called Stripe (think PayPal). Once the client is set up, it automatically withdraws money on specified days and pays me. I wish I could do this with every client I work with. The only drawback is that it is another system to have to sign up for and it is not American based.

Overall, I would say that for people looking for someone to edit, format or design work on their book, this is a great resource. I can only advertise for one service on their site. I cannot also sell editing services. For a ghostwriter, it needs some work and a better understanding of how ghostwriters work and maybe some tweaks such as vetting potential clients.

Hopefully, I will have some more positive updates in the future.

Authors- Watch Your Wallet!

I want to begin by saying, I am going to withhold names in this article in order to protect the guilty. I cannot stress enough that you should be very, very careful about "reputable" sites and companies offering you the moon, with bait and switch techniques that can really cost unwary authors thecash in their wallet.

I was recommended a company by a colleague I trust as a potential service provider I could work with.  The first warning sign was that my colleague had never actually used their services- they just thought the guy was nice and his concept solid. So I put on my journalism pants, and decided to talk to the CEO of XYZ company.

Here is the break down of what they provide.

1. The claim to be a literary agent. They are not licensed and they don't actually perform the duties of a traditional literary agent.

2. They offer a "crowd funding" site for authors. The way it works is this- an author asks their friends and family to buy pre-sale copies of their upcoming book. If the number of books reaches a certain level, then the company "pitches" their book idea to a certain level of "publishers". (I know I am using a lot of quotes, but there is a lot of terms they use that are suspect and up to their interpretation). The author must create the query, synopsis and proposal on their own which they post on the site.

The bottom level are self publishing companies
Second - Hybrid publishers
Third- Small publishers
Fourth- A few traditional business book publishers

3. It is up to the author to bring in the buyers of the book. The idea is if the author has a certain number of pre-sales, then a publisher will be interested in signing with them.

4. They charge 30-35% commission on those pre-sales. Yes that is not a misprint. They are not a publisher or a printer. They just feel that the use of their site is worth a third of an author's pre-sales. This does not account for what the publisher is going to charge the author to publish and print the book. This is off the top.

5. They take a 15% commission if the book is published. This was confusing because they said they did this in an early interview and then recanted this statement later.

6. None of the information I have provided so far is on their website. They want the author to pitch their book and then they make the offer.

7. They claim to work with high end publishers, but when asked which of their clients were picked up by those publishers, they would not respond.

8. They claim that a number of best selling authors have dumped their previous publishers to use their platform. When they say best seller- they mean Amazon Bestseller. There were a couple of authors that had been previously published, but as of this article, they either had not met their quota, or they were not picked up by a new publisher and had less than 200 presales. This is problematic for me as most publishers would have a 'first right to refuse' clause in their contract. The one conclusion I came to was that their previous sales did not warrant a new contract, or they were not interested in their new book.

Facts

• Agents usually only charge 15% on royalties.
• Established Crowd Funding sites such as Indiegogo and Kickstarter only charge 5-8% commission, and nothing thereafter.  

I had further concerns about the companies offerings: 

1. A number of the "small" presses are actually well documented vanity presses. Their response?

"Yes, we have vanity publishers on the site as options but that doesn't mean we suggest authors use them."

I could stop my article right here with that quote. 

2. Why are they located in Asia and marketing to US market with US publishers? 

3. In one of the campaigns to sell books I noticed that they were actually selling coaching packages and even a workshop in South America for $2400 (they counted that as 20 books). The way they stated they dealt with the money was that they gave it to the publisher for the pre-sales, or if the author decided to self publish, they would give them the difference minus their commission. I asked exactly how they were paying the authors for coaching packages, which they were counting as books and there was no response.  I guess I could bake my readers a cake and call it 10 books worth of presales. Yeah, my cheesecake is that good!

4. Why are they charging twice what a literary agent would charge.  Their response was, "...there is more value for authors because they take home more on a publishing deal through us." Not sure how that is true. 

5. I asked them why they charged 6 times more than what Indiegogo and Kickstarter charge. Their response was, "If authors don't want a publisher, they go use Kickstarter to raise funds." Again not close to true. 

Conclusion 

As a writer and ghostwriter, I get offers from companies constantly touting a book in a weekend, or a book in a tupperware bin, or just give us your IP and we will make you a best seller at 2:00 AM in the Turkish Language classics category on Amazon. 

I tell my clients, and now you my readers the same thing. Books are hard to write. They are even harder to get published no matter how you choose to do it. There is no short cut to success. There is no best seller formula except what I already stated- hard work. Throw in frustration, rejection, rewriting, rejection, lather, rinse repeat. 

There are legitimate companies that are assisting authors along the way. They are wonderful and help people realize their dreams. My advice is to ask questions. Tons of questions. If it does not feel right cut bait. If they cannot give you verifiable answers- thank them and leave. If they cannot give you real people that have had success with them to talk to, then keep looking. 

I will offer ANYONE reading this- if you have questions about a company- email me, and we can talk about it. If I don't have an answer I will work to find it. I will do this for free for you. I want people with great book ideas to have a chance to change the world of as many people as they can reach, without someone reaching in their pocket and stripping their wallet.

  

Using Quirks to Reveal Personality - Guest Post(Becca Puglisi)-

I’ve spent a lot of my writing career thinking about characters. Which ones do I vividly remember? What makes them so unforgettable?

One of the common denominators is that they all have at least one attribute that 1) I admire, or 2) draws me to them in some way. As a shy teenager, I fell in love with Anne Shirley’s vivaciousness—clearly expressed through her nonstop chatter. Every Christmas, I watch Elf and laugh my mistletoe off at Buddy’s socially awkward brand of innocence.

The key, I think, is to give our characters a quality that is admirable, likable, or somehow inspires empathy. Then we’ve got to show that positive attribute in a way that cements it in readers’ brains and leaves no doubt as to why they’re drawn to the hero. One easy way to do this is through the use of quirks—small, original mannerisms or habits that are unique to a character. While these are often randomly applied as a way of making a character offbeat or “quirky”, I’d like to focus today on how to utilize quirks deliberately as a way of showing your character’s positive attributes. Here are some quick steps on how to do this effectively.

Identify your character’s primary attribute. Maybe it’s a trait that will help him achieve his goal. Perhaps it’s one that matches his morals and values. Likely, it’s going to be one that drives his choices. Regardless of what you decide, his primary attribute needs to make sense in light of his history. His upbringing, core beliefs, profound past events—all of these things should play a part in determining who he is in the current story, so take them into consideration when choosing his stand-out trait.

Brainstorm actions that exemplify that trait. If your character is meticulous, what are some realistic mannerisms that she might acquire? Maybe she would obsessively clean (Monica Geller, Friends). She might count her toothbrush strokes and steps to the bus stop (Harold Crick, Stranger than Fiction). Perhaps she would make fastidious notes on post-its and stick them to every surface in her apartment (Dr. Emma Russell,The Saint). The cool thing about choosing a quirk is that the possibilities are virtually limitless. You just have to find one that fits with your character’s whole personality. Take note of her flaws, fears, and other issues, and make sure that her quirk fits her.

Use your quirk to show the attribute. Plenty has been said about the value of showing instead of telling in our writing. It’s the difference between someone saying that your new roommate is a little strange and you figuring it for yourself when you find her talking to her extensive ceramic bunny collection. When someone tells you something about another person, you hear the information, but it’s impersonal—until you witness it for yourself. Then you experience an emotional response. This emotion is what you want to evoke in readers, so instead of stating outright what kind of person your character is, show it through the use of a well-chosen quirk.

Use quirks sparingly. As with any other gesture or habit, quirks that are used too often become distracting. Choose fitting times for your character to show his personality so each instance has meaning and serves a purpose.

To wrap things up, I’d like to close with two examples of how quirks have been used to convey character personality. The first is an example of how not to do it.

A few years ago, I was a fan of the short-lived TV show Revolution—despite the main character. Charlie cried in every episode. It got so bad that my husband and I started betting on time slots to see when she would overflow. This mannerism of hers was completely overdone, and worse, it didn’t tell me anything about her personality. The writers must have gotten my memo because in season two, the waterworks were gone. The sudden departure shows that the constant crying wasn’t a true indicator of her personality anyway. This is a good example of a quirk that didn’t make sense for the character and was used haphazardly, without purpose.

On the other hand, the first time we meet Hermione Granger, she starts off her mostly one-sided conversation with Ron and Harry by informing them that she’s learned all the course books by heart and that all the spells she’s practiced have worked perfectly. Her bragging is a quirk that she exhibits fairly consistently; it’s a sign of both her intelligence and competitiveness but also of her insecurity. As the books progress, her bragging progressively lessens and eventually disappears—a sign that she has successfully navigated her character arc and no longer needs to prove herself. This is a great example of an effective use of a quirk to show a character’s personality. It also proves that quirks can be used to show not only positive attributes, but flaws, too.

For a handy tool to help organize each of your character’s quirks, positive and negative traits, habits and mannerisms, and other qualities, check out the Character-At-A-Glance resource at One Stop For Writers. You can find this and other helpful tools on the Templates and Worksheets page.

So many factors are involved in the making of our characters. While it's important to know the details about their pasts, sometimes a simple snapshot can provide a lot of insight. Use this spreadsheet to create an overall glimpse of the important characters in your story. You can then easily see if your characters need more variety, add conflict by introducing opposing qualities, encourage cooperation by adding harmonious elements, or even determine if a character is extraneous and should be cut from the story.

What do you think? What character quirks have you seen or read that were effective in conveying personality?

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling. You can find Becca online at both of these spots, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

Ghostwriting Versus Collaborative Writing

Working with another writer on any project can be challenging. Both ghostwriting and collaborative ( co-authoring) have similar challenges in that they both require the writers to see eye to eye and be able work well together.

Ghostwriting- Write in another person's voice. They provide a manuscript based upon an author's writing, resource material and often heavily upon interviewing. The ghostwriter seeks to capture and match the author's voice.

Collaborative Writing- Tow or more authors work together as partners to create a book or even a script. They often chose different aspects of what each writer is responsible for. There is a unified vision and voice that is achieved.

Be mindful and decide early on each other's roles, boundaries, and outcome from working together. If you cannot agree on these points early in the process, it will fall apart later. It is not easy to ghostwrite or be a collaborative writer, it is a nightmare if your partner and you cannot work as a well oiled machine.

Just be you- Everyone else sucks...

Authenticity is key to all that we do as writers and in our writing. People know when we are bullshitting, so why do we do it?

Authenticity is a word that is not always understood and is often misused. We should always be true to who we are, because frankly that is the only person you can be. Unless you are Batman, then just be Batman.

We risk coming off as fake, or inauthentic when we attempt to be something we are not. I see people do this in the speaking industry all the time. They talk on subjects they are not experts in. Worse- they write books about it.

Writing a book does NOT make you an expert. That is being inauthentic, although I hear that comment all the time.

"Write a book and be an expert in your field."

Uh- you either are already and expert or you ain't. Writing a book does not MAKE you anything but an author. Being a good or bad author could be up to debate, but it does not make you an expert. I feel I am repeating myself.

A common challenge I have with authors is the following. These are ways NOT to be authentic:

1. Use someone else's ideas and claim them to be their own.

2. Use someone else's ideas and change the words around.

3. Quote other people A LOT.

4. Quizzes with claiming to determine a person's ( fill in the blank) type.

5. Assessments that are never tried on real living people.

6. Talking about neuroscience, when you have a degree in business.

7. Using White Label  materials (these are other people's writing you BUY and use as your own. We will talk more about that in later posts).

I could go on, but you get the point right? Write what you know- the cardinal rule of writing. Why do people forget this and write what they think is the next New York Times Bestseller. If you want a New York Times Bestseller write about two zombies who are into Bondage. Fifty Shades of The Living Dead. (You watch- someone is going to write that book now).

I am who I am. Like me. Hate me. Laugh at me. I am over it. I was a guy that looked like a football player growing up that liked musical theater and played the flute. I got over people's opinions of me a long time ago, and I have been happier and honestly MORE successful because of it.

Just be you. Everyone else sucks!

Year of the Ghostwriter

This picture is pretty much what my desk looks like.

Ha ha ha- not even close. I can't find my glasses, my pen is forever misplaced, books are tumbling and the are mountains of papers.

I live in the world of crawling around in other people's minds, grabbing their ideas and translating them to words on a page. I help people who want to write and publish a book become a part of the 2% who actually achieve this amazing feat.

In 2017, I have deemed it the year of the ghostwriter. I am taking my skills to the next level and am translating them through teaching and public speaking.

In addition, I am adding a daily video and blog post. My concept is to connect to writers and those who are looking for help writing through words, images and writing. Each video will have a blog post that accompanies it. The hope is that I will connect to people's unique learning styles.

Let's look at the weekly breakdown:

Mondays- Weekend Recap and Publishing Trends

Tuesdays- Business Concepts in Writing

Wednesdays- Collaborative Writing Lab (Ghostwriting Skills)

Thursdays- Publishing Tips

Fridays- Writing for Profit

I encourage everyone and listening to participate. Ask questions. Make Comments. Heck guest blog or be interviewed!

Let's make 2017 the year of not only the ghostwriter, but the year YOU get published.

La Plume ( The Pen that Writes): Rules of a Poetry Reading

La Plume ( The Pen that Writes): Rules of a Poetry Reading: I have been trying out this new thing- Poetry Readings. Well it is new to me, and I have had two simultaneous experiences- a respect and awe...

Rules of a Poetry Reading

I have been trying out this new thing- Poetry Readings. Well it is new to me, and I have had two simultaneous experiences- a respect and awe for fantastic writing, and the feeling of unrelenting pressure in my bladder.

I think I am just not hip nor cool enough for these beatnik-esque performances. After attending one this weekend, I decided I need to create a list of unwritten, yet important rules for those ignorant to workings of these sessions of emotional catharsis.

1. My experience prior to my recent leap into this literary form of performance art were two important sources- Douglas Adams Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the movie So I Married an Ax Murderer.

Here is what you need to know about Adams treatment of the subject:

"Vogon poetry is, of course, the third worst in the universe. The second worst is that of the Azgoths of Kria. During a recitation by their poet master Grunthos the Flatulent of his poem "Ode to a Small Lump of Green Putty I Found in My Armpit One Midsummer Morning", four of the audience members died of internal hemorrhaging and the president of the Mid-Galactic Arts Nobbling Council survived only by gnawing one of his own legs off. Grunthos was reported to have been "disappointed" by the poem's reception, and was about to embark on a reading of his 12-book epic entitled "My Favourite Bathtime Gurgles" when his own large intestine - in a desperate attempt to save life itself - leapt straight up through his neck and throttled his brain. The very worst poetry of all perished along with its creator, Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings of Sussex, in the destruction of the planet Earth. Vogon poetry is mild by comparison."

In my mind I compare what I am hearing to Vogon poetry, and unfortunately, much of what I hear does not pass this simple test. 

As to the Ax Murderer reference, I keep looking for the small jazz trio to be playing to the rhythm of the alliteration. I have been eternally disappointed. 

Woman, Whooooooaman 

https://youtu.be/Qae03boj7lU

Are these depictions of poetry readings fair? Yes.. yes they are.

2. Pee before you sit.  Many of these readings have libations- beer, coffee, and cider mimosas. What they don't tell you is that you need a catheter and bag strapped to your leg, because once the fun starts, you're screwed. You can't move, you can't breath, and for sure you can't get up and leave. You are packed in like sardines and you get these stares, mostly from the reader, because everyone else has their eyes closed as if in prayer, or a coma. Pee or be good at holding it. Don't be that person he gets up and has to crawl over those bodies.

3. Learn to close your eyes. There are apparently a couple ways you experience poetry. One is the blissful closed eyed I drank the Kool Aide look. Apparently you cannot experience poetry with your eyes. You must shut down all of your other senses, and go into a comatose state and experience it in your soul. I am still practicing this, however I am too paranoid that someone might slip something into my coffee or sip from my 12 dollar beer.

The second way to experience a poetry reading is to pick a spot on the wall or ceiling, and have the appearance of someone that suddenly passed away from an unexpected aneurysm. This makes sense considering the poetry could actually cause this to happen- refer back to rule 1. You have to have a vacant stare, and if you really want to show the love to the poet, allow some drool to dribble from your chin. It is the highest praise.

4. Don't cough, or sneeze and keep your breathing shallow. These are poetry readings not hospital emergency waiting rooms. Suppress that cough until they look up. You have to wait until the poet looks up because you will have no other indication that they are done.

BEWARE--- BEWARE-- SPECIAL MESSAGE

Be careful that the poem is not a collection of seemingly random collections of smaller poems. If the poet looks up, it could mean they have just finished part one in a eighty part series of poems. Nothing worse then letting go of a explosive cough or passing wind, during a pause. There will be no applause to cover it up. Just you making commentary through flatulence. It happen to me twice and I felt there needed to be a jar I had to place a 5 spot in as a penalty. Like some literary form of Simon says.

5. Know what to wear. This is so very, very important. You want to blend in. Find some old clothes with bright colors and patches. Except the patches should not cover the holes in your pants. Find shows your grandfather wore in the war. This goes for you ladies too. Cover your clothes with as many meme and politically charged pins as you can. Make sure nothing matches. And guys, you have to have a hat. No baseball caps allowed. You must shop at a second hand clothes store for one.

6. Booing for bad poetry is not allowed. Yeah I learned that one quick.

7. Clapping is encouraged, but snapping and leg slapping is also encouraged. Remember this is all art and expression. It is all brilliant.

8. Be ready to chip in when the plate is passed. No this is not a church donation plate, this is gas money for the poets to get home and have a little left over for a pint before they leave.

9. Bathing is optional. But is it really? Should it be?

10. Be ready the next time to bring your own poetry to share. This is like AA, eventually, it will be your turn to get in front of the crowd.

"Hi, I'm John."

Crowd "Hi John"

"I am a poet. I have been writing prose for ten days now."

Crowd applauds. They know a pro when they see one. 

"Today, I will begin with- Ode to a Small Lump of Green Putty I Found in My Armpit One Midsummer Morning."

You'll knock them dead. Literally.


Have you ever had a really bad hangover, and swear you will never drink again and actually done it? Me either.

I know I will return to more and more poetry readings because I am by nature a masochist. To be fair it is not all bad, truly. There is a lot of brilliance in there. I just wish they would have those poems first, then offer a pee break. It's the little things.

Trust the Experts- Self Publishing Mistake #1

A common error that new authors make when working with a ghostwriter or graphic designer is that they don't trust their opinion. This can be costly both upfront and in sales of your book.

When you hire a ghostwriter, you are buying their expertise. They have written and ghostwritten a number of books, and should know the tricks and pits of the trade. They know what sells, and what is cliche.

I try to produce what my clients want, but I also try to guide them through the process. Many authors have strong feelings over cover design and titles. In the world of traditional publishing, authors do often get a choice- a publisher chooses both the title and cover design, sometimes with little or no input from the author. Why? Because a publisher is in the business of making money and they know what sells. They are investing in the author to produce the book, and they want to be sure it sells. They will also have a strong influence over the content and editing of a book.

When a person decides to self- publish, they have all of the control, but that is not necessarily a good thing. They might have a great story concept, but that is not enough to sell a book. They must have a kick ass title and cover to attract consumers. Books are indeed judged by their cover- that is why we still have brick and mortar bookstores. People like to browse shelves and when a cover attracts their attention they will pick it up and flip it over.

A self published author will often hire experts that can write, edit, and design their book, however at times they cannot get out of their own way. They have strong opinions even when the expert they have hired tries to dissuade them. An expert not only has skills and experience, they have perspective. They can look at the book with a trained, objective eye and give advice.

No expert is 100% correct, but if someone hires one.they should at least trust and listen to what they are saying. If a cover concept does not work, the author should take a breath, step back and seek counsel on it. That does not mean friends and family. You need colleagues and professionals that are not afraid to tell you the truth.

In the end, the author must decide on all things if they are self publishing, but if the title is not catchy or is too cliche or clever, people will roll their eyes, but they will not usually buy. If the design is wrong, it may look unprofessional and again a person will pass on the book. If a person opens a book it looks like a document from MS WORD, again the book will not make it.

Authors work hard to earn their money. When they are self publishing, they are making the investment. If you had heart surgery, you would not tell the surgeon how to do it. If you needed repairs on your car, unless you are a mechanic, you would not tell the repair shop how to build and engine. In both cases, you would pay money for their expertise. Why not in book publishing?

The Coolest Gadget

The Coolest Gadget

Delivered to my hands, my wife gave me the coolest gadget three years ago. I did not know just how cool this technological marvel would be, I only looked down and was in awe.

This gadget has gotten more sophisticated and wondrous over time. It upgrades constantly, especially when it is in sleep mode. Every day, the coolest gadget shocks and surprises me. How could such a perfect gadget exist? It is so sophisticated and its inner workings are still a mystery to even the smartest scientists. Its memory capacity is endless, and the more it interacts with its environment the smarter it becomes.

If I were to write a review about my gadget I would say that at times it can be very loud, that it spontaneously goes into sleep mode, and that it eats up energy like crazy. The longer I have it, the more energy it requires, and if its energy restores are not immediately refilled, it becomes very loud and most other functions become inoperable.

It does require constant maintenance and attention, as it is very fragile and they have not created a functional shell that will protect it from falls. Its upkeep is at times expensive, and over time that cost goes up, but it is totally worth it.

Unlike other gadgets, phones and computers, the coolest gadget brings joy and newness to every day. I cannot wait until I am finished with work every day to play with it. I take it everywhere I go, and everyone loves to comment on my cool gadget.

Proudly I smile as people guess how old my gadget is, as they always assume it is older that it is. People say, “It seems like such an advanced model. It is so sophisticated for such a young model, and it seems like it is quite a handful.”

“You have no idea,” I smile.

He always distracting me while drive with incessant questions, and he has programmed himself to be funny. I do not have fear of breaking laws concerning talking and driving, but he is not quite hands free quite yet. He still requires my hand when we cross the street.

I may not have the only model of my coolest gadget in existence, but each gadget is individually made with love. I do not exactly own my gadget; in fact, it owns my wife and me. We share the gadget with one another and with the world. It makes me upset when I see other people’s gadgets neglected, or hurt. These gadgets have lifetime contracts. We cannot trade them in, or cancel our contract because we claim we are bored with them. How could my coolest gadget ever be boring or worthy of anything less than my best?

My coolest gadget does interact with other gadgets and actually seeks out them out wherever we go. It is fun to watch the interactions and the learning that occurs between the gadgets. While my gadget is only three years old, the existence of similar gadgets have existed since the beginning of time. 

It is sad because one day my gadget will get too old and will go out into the world to learn on its own. I had two other cool gadgets before my current one, and they both left too soon. My current gadget is a different model than the first two, it has different hardware, and there is great debate about other differences between the two models. I believe both offer the world so much, and their differences are beautiful and powerful in their own ways.

The two most memorable days so far have been the day my coolest gadget upgraded to independent mobility and the day it began mimicking sounds and words. Since those days, my coolest gadget has not stopped moving or talking.

My gadget has this superpower of making me cry with happiness. It is this starburst in my chest that occurs when he does something amazing, or says something so clever and funny, it makes me ponder the true existence of God, because only something greater than anyone here on Earth could have conceived of something so divine.  

There is one word it learned a couple of days that I will never tire of hearing it repeat- Dad. My coolest gadget is my son. He trumps any technological wonder that has or will ever be created by humankind. He is a perfect machine, conceived with love and he has a heart made of gold that makes the entire world around him glow.

If you ever see my cool gadget somewhere, be sure to say, “Hi Max.” and he will reply, “So what did you do today?”

What did I do today? I got to be a dad to the best son in the world. I love you Max. 

The Five Ways to Publish Your Book

Fellow NSA member and Facebook friend, Deborah Grayson Riegel, posted a question of whether she would self publish or traditionally publish her new book. She has published through both channels with different books she has written in the past.

I mentioned that it is harder and harder to justify traditional publishing, and there are new avenues and ways of publishing. I decided that instead of creating a giant Facebook reply, that I would just blog it.

1. Trad or Traditional Publishing

These are the big 5 publishers and all of their imprints:

Penguin/Random House
Harper Collins
Macmillan
Hachette
Simon and Schuster

These are the great monoliths of the book world, although some might see them as great dinosaurs. There are some advantages to using one of these titans such as the fact someone else is doing all of the steps of publishing your book. (minus marketing). There is some status and credibility of having your book published by a trad publisher, but there are a number of published authors leaving these great houses and plodding off to publish their future books on their own.

There is the mythic advance. These used to be a nice check that got you going and allowed you to eat while you finished your manuscript and the book began to sell. Not any more, as most advance checks are usually in the three or four digit range rather than a coveted five or six digit sum.


It is often who you know, not the merit of your book that will get it looked at by a publisher. I recently heard of an author offering a backstage entrance into trad publisher for his friends. While there is no guarantee that the book would be picked up, it does jump a lot of hoops that most other authors find frustrating or even impossible.

If you are not a celebrity, you should not even think of approaching a trad publisher without an agent. Some publishers will not even accept query letters that are not agented. Obtaining an agent is again who knows who game. It is very hard to secure one, and it can take months of hundreds of rejection letters to get one- "Yes I am interested, send me a proposal."

You have to know how to craft a great query letter, and proposal to have a fighting chance, and if you don't have the skills, you would do best to hire a professional to help you.

I work with speakers exclusively, and most of time they need their books available yesterday. Trad publishers have lead times to a book being in your hand from 12- 24 months. Can you wait that long?

Your royalties on a trad published book are a little sad. On an average priced book you may get around $2.00 per book. Granted, you MAY sell 20,000 books. But what if you don't? There is talk that trad publishing companies are beginning to ask for advance checks to be returned if the book does not sell well.

Imagining spending sleepless nights coming up with a cover design and title for your book, only for an editor to say, " We have decided to go a different direction..." The problem is, you have no control- you have signed over the rights of your book.

It's not always a bad idea- consider the fanfic piece called- Master of the Universe by Icequeen's Dragon. 

A smart publisher changed it to- 50 Shades of Grey- by E L James (true story).

The other issue about the sales of your book is - what about your second book? If your sales are not where the publisher wants it to be- they will kill your book which essentially kills any further books you might want to publish.

In ANY of the publishing routes I want to stress that YOU will be doing a lion's share of the marketing. This takes time and money- so be prepared. Books don't sell themselves. If you do not have the skills- hire a good publicist and/or a marketer. Nothing worse than a great book that collects dust because there was no plan to sell it. Trad publishers look very closely to marketing plans in proposals.

2. Small Press

These are the little brothers and sisters of trad publishers, because their model is similar, but on a much smaller scale. Here is a link to an exhaustive list of  small press publishers- https://www.pw.org/small_presses?page=6

The advantages here are that you can send direct submissions without the need of an agent.

Like a trad publisher- they do all the work concerning getting your book ready for print and do the printing for you. Some small press have advances, but these can be token in size. You still have the advantage of being published by a publisher- and hence the bragging rights.

Not only do you not need an agent- most agents will not submit to small press publishers- because they will not make the money they need out of a deal- which often comes from the advance check.

Like trad publishers, they can have a long lead time to print. In fact, many small press publishers only publish a few books a year and so the process can be even slower.

Again you do the marketing and there is little profit. You give up control the same as you do with trad publishers and you may get stuck in the same book two conundrum.

3. DIY ( True Self Publishing) 

This is the DIY self publishing option. You can publish through many channels such as:

• Create Space
• Lightning Source
• Book Baby
• Smash Words
• Apple Istore
• Scribd
• Barnes and Nobel
• POD
• Book Printer

This is a huge step away from trad or small press publishing. You have total control of everything. You own the rights to your book.

The only thing stopping you from publishing your book is YOU. There is no real lead time- once you have the book ready to print, you submit it and it magically appears. You can even sell it through your own website.

You make changes and updates relatively easy. If you have you book in electronic form you can even publish it through Revizzit.com This site allows you make changes to all the electronic books you ever sold in real time.

The best thing about DIY publishing is that your profits can be in the 60%-70% range.

If you do not have the knowledge or skills to do DIY publishing this can be difficult and actually hurt your credibility. You are better off not publishing a book than to publish a poorly produced book. Publishing takes time and that can actually take away from your time actually writing your book. There are many mistakes that can be make along the road of publishing and some of them can be costly such as a poorly created cover or amateur book layout.

You will be paying for many of the services that a trad/small press would be paying for such as the cover, interior design and printing. Some believe that the DIY stigma is a thing of the past- and while it has been greatly reduced, the issue is that many self published books are done cheaply and it shows. It is more about the finished product than who published it that can really affect a author's credibility.

In the arena of professional reviews- it is much harder to get your book reviewed. Not impossible, but without knowledge in this area it can be very difficult and there are some avenues that you would need a good publicist.

4. Partner Publishing-Hybrid

Partner publishing is somewhere in between Trad and DIY. Some examples of partner publishers are:

• She Writes Press ( For Women only)
• Book Trope
• Wise Ink
• Ink Shares ( a Crowd Funding/Publisher)
• Turning Stone Press
• White Cloud Press
• Green leaf Publishing
• Estrucan Press

This type of publisher still has to accept your manuscript- however they offer all types of services such as editing, proofing, help with cover, and more. All of this has a price. It can vary and you may need to shop around a bit.

The good news is that you retain control over the rights to your book. They can provide you the expertise you need to create a professionally manufactured book- and they can produce your book quickly in most cases. This frees up your time to write.

One of things that Partner publishing does help with is distribution and marketing. These two things are HUGE if you want to sell your book for a passive book rather than just hawking them at events for back of the room sales. Remember, no matter what you will have to invest in your marketing.

One the flip side, there are no advances, you are paying for the services. These do save you time, and money in the long run and greatly increase your ability to create a great book on your own.

5. Assisted Publishing

This best describes my company Osiris Papers. This is a another step away from Partner closer to DIY, You have control over your book, you own the rights, and you do the tasks you wish to on your own. You hire professionals to do the tasks you feel would free up your time or in an area you have less skills in. Time until production is reduced, because many of the components are taken care of by professionals for you- IE. cover, interior design.

Since you have complete control over the process you can make changes easily.

This type of publishing like partner publishing does take budget, but you can decide what that is, because you can do some of the components yourself. You do have to manage the project to ensure the components are being completed.

If you decide to go this route- my advice is not to expect to pay 5 dollars to get a cover that knocks people socks off. You don't have to pay a fortune, but you don't want to use bargain basement providers.


No matter what- here are some essentials

• Edit, Edit , Edit
• Proof- this occurs after your editing, by a professional. You CANNOT proof your own book.
• Create a GREAT cover. In fact, put some ideas out to others to have them help you pick the best cover. (unless you create covers for a living- hire a professional. A graphic artist is not enough- you need someone who can create a great cover with an eye toward what sells.)
• Commit to the best book possible- NO SHORT CUTS. It must look and read in a way that moves people. 
• Marketing starts today- take the time to create one the day you begin writing, and be ready to invest in YOU!

New Digs, New Book, New Outlook

Even though I write for other people, does not mean I do not have my own projects brewing. I am working on my next wine book, that will be step even farther from my first book,

 (Click here to view this book)

The Complete Guide to Making Your Own Wine at Home: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply 

The feedback I have received is that people liked that it helped beginners and also contained some more advanced techniques. The new book (Title Forthcoming) will explore equipment, techniques, recipes and a new perspective after five years. 

I have new a place that will play into the new book, but I don't want to jinx it just yet- I will be moving soon and I could not be more excited.

The is a renewed feeling of creating a new book with my name on the spine. I am very, very, VERY excited. My promise to my clients is to help them craft and publish a book, and now I am making that promise to myself.

One last thought. If you have a response to my blog post- PLEASE post it here, Don't send just an email rant- let's talk it out here on the blogspace. It is how we can learn from one another and others can learn as well.

I am off to Baltimore and then Fort Meyers this week. I love meeting new clients and getting that creative engine moving.


That is my story and I am sticking to it. What is yours? Now write a book about!


John Peragine

Ethics? Only When it Is Convenient!

I sometimes forget I am a writer and journalist- mostly because my life is dedicated to writing for others. I decided I needed to get my feelings out through words.

After a recent presentation to a local chapter of large association, lightning struck twice- I say twice because this is the second time someone did something so unethical after I left the stage, it left my jaw agape.

I understand, that I have competition, which is great for many reasons. It keeps me current, it keeps my prices at the right rate, and frankly I can ghostwrite for the world. There only so many hours to write in a day.

Ethics. Doing the right thing. Thinking before you act. Are these just merely ideas that are acted upon when convenient. Should they not be principles we live by?

After the same thing happened to me twice- I begin to wonder.

Ethics, define who we are. I mean who we really are- not just that face you put on, but that face in the mirror. That person we look at with all of the other bullshit stripped away. Who are we really? What are our values? Do we live by those values? Can we look in the mirror and say to ourselves- Yes, you live by the values you set for yourself, no matter what the cost.

I don't want to disparage an entire organization for the actions of a few, so I will withhold names to protect the guilty.

I present around the US on the topic of writing and mistakes people often make that prevent them from finishing their book. I give them clues about what works, and how to work through challenges. I do these presentations, at this point for free. Why? Because, these often result in leads that turn into clients. It is understood that at the end of my talk I can offer packages and services. In both cases, I did not hardsell from the stage. In fact, I gave away my services. Money people paid for consulting all went to the association.

So, I want to you to get the picture- I am presenting for free, I am giving away my services, and the association is making money.

At the first event, after I stepped off the stage, it was announced that someone else at the chapter did the same thing that I did, he had written a book, he was asked to stand up and there was applause.

Wait? What? Was this planned? Was I over reacting- or did they just have me spend an hour giving away valuable information only to promote their local guy?

Maybe it was a fluke right? Maybe they could not see the pain on my face as I just walked out of the room to collect myself.

So, presentation two- this time I offered to give back a percentage of any contract I solidified in the following weeks back to the organization. This would pay for my travel expenses that the local chapter paid and then some. A win-win.

As I am leaving and shaking hands, I notice someone handing out fliers to people. They were bright green, so they were hard to miss. He approached me, said he was in the same industry, and that if I had any overflow, would I mind sending him some work. I tucked the flier in my bag, and made my way to my room.

The next day I pulled it out. It was an advertisement for the exact services I offer. In fact, it indicated he had targeted that very meeting (in which I was one of two key speakers) to come back to the chapter and offer his services.

What? Are you kidding me? Ethics much? Decency and class much?

I don't really see him as competition really. He was offering to barter services. And I got the leads I expected- but the ethics issue really gets under my skin- as it seems pervasive. It's like scabies, making me itch and feel disgusted.

So- you out there? What would you do in this situation? I am slotted to do my talks within this association again in the future.

Preparing for NaNoWriMo

I am going to attempt to write every day about my progress with my novel. I believe it will give an insight into the creative process, and the do's and don'ts of writing.

As a ghostwriter, I am writing books and being creative for others every day, for many hours. I have not written for myself in some time, but the process and how a book is created is pretty much the same. It is very similar whether it is fiction or it is non-fiction.  

To me, the easiest way to write is to create an outline. You  would not take a trip without plotting out your course, and in the end taking the time to plan saves time. When you have time to write- you know exactly what you are writing, rather than sitting and staring at a blank screen.

You have a plan.

My plan has been evolving for Mr Cheevers for four years. I never said this was a quick process. It was not until waking up this morning, that I woke up with the plot gelled in my brain. My brain has been working on it while I slept- isn't our subconscious brain AWESOME!

So I am scribbling out my plot points. I have already created character cards and settings (This is from my days as a Dungeon Master. No learning is lost! See Mom it was not a total waste of time).

So come November 1st, I will be ready.

Confessions of a Writer  

So, I bought a new laptop in preparation for NaNoWriMo. Last year I bought a desktop computer, but my laptop is like 7 years old. So now I am mobile- no excuses. I bought one with a smaller screen for mobility. My last laptop had a 17 inch screen and was watermelon heavy. 

I am using new software- Scrivener. so far I love it. I can plot everything out in one place. I will update how it goes. I have been able to create character cards, plots, settings, ect. all in one place, and with easy access as I write!!

Please PLEASE- donate to NaNoWriMo. I have to be the number 1 fundraiser--- but I need your help. I don't care if it is a dollar at a time. 

If you donate- mention this blog. I will send you a copy of Sticky Rice signed. This was the original short story that introduced Mr Cheevers. Also if you donate $50 or more, I will add you as a character in the book. So DONATE TODAY!!!  https://www.classy.org/fundraise?fcid=357815

Brain Bridges Part 2- Why Speakers Don't Always Make the Best Writers

Speakers are great orators- they can speak and pontificate about a grocery list and make it interesting. If you ask many of even the most successful speakers to write, and they become deaf and mute. They look at a blank page and shiver from the cold sweat running down their back.

Someone asked me if a writer is created or born- and my short answer is that I believe they are born. It is a talent like art, or music. Some people are born with the artistic skill and some are not. If you are talented in one artistic medium, that does not mean you are talented in all of them. I can play the heck out of the piccolo solo in Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony, but all the people I draw are evolutions of stick figures.

Like any other talent, we can hone and polish our skills and techniques, but without a gift and passion it can be a fruitless process. Speakers I also believe are born. Some people just have a stage presence, and know how to work a crowd and some try and struggle.

It's ok- you don't have to be good at everything- but you are good at something. Speakers are often told to write a book to support their platform and add credibility to their brand. I have seen the attempts go three ways- 1. They nail it- their book is a success because they had some writing chops and a great marketing plan. 2. They start and then stop. They can't get past the first chapter or even the first line. 3. They write the whole book- and everyone around NICELY and POLITELY tells them its great and it sells like 20 copies.

You can have some writing chops, but need some training to polish your prose. And so sometimes a speaker has to step back to prepare themselves.

Some speakers don't have the time or the chops to write, and they hire a ghostwriter like me, or a book coach.

The important thing is that a speaker knows their limitations- because a bad book is worse then no book. Trust me!

Before Starting a Book consider these questions:
1. Have you ever written professionally before?
2. Have you ever written something this size?
3, Do you have the time to write?
4. Do you need some help honing your writing skills?
5. Do you really need to write a book or is it something you are being told you need to do?

There are no right or wrong answers, just things to consider.

In my next installment of Brain Bridges I will be talking about how writing partners can help your writing. 

Disclaimer- I am NOT selling Body Parts on the Open Market

The following emails are real. This is what happens when a writer gets tired of Scammy/Spammy emails- The amazing this is that I never expected them to reply.

Their Original Email

Dear Sirs,

There is an ongoing tender.

So we are very interested in your product for a long term contract period. If interested, kindly get back to me with your full product details/specifications to enable us give you more details on how to proceed.

I am a commission agent, I source whenever there is a notice for the bid to tender, if your company win this tender through my effort i will be entitled to 2% commission of the total contract fund as a gratification from my company, but this money will be paid to me after you must have received your full payment from the commission.

Terms of payment: If the contract is awarded to you, the commission makes an upfront/advance payment of 80% T/T to start the production and the remaining 20% will be paid to you before supply, all payments must to be confirmed from your bank before shipment.

Your urgent response will be appreciated.

Best regards,

Mr.Jacob Sako,
Accredited Agent.

My reply: 

We sell after market human organs- all kinds and some are custom made by our staff member Dr. Frank N. Stein. Let us know how many of each organ you might need- as we will have to acquire donors. 

Regards, 

Igor Master

You would think that would be the end of it right? Nope- they actually replied with the following: 

Dear Mr John Peragine,

Thank you very much for your prompt response.

The project coordinator is very interested below:

(1) Kidney.

(2) LIliver.

(3) Heart

(4) Lung

(5) Pancreas

(6) Bone marrow

Please be informed that this is a government tender, you are supplying this items to the government, i am a commission agent.

Let me know the unit price so that i can present it to him for consideration.

I am a commission agent, I source whenever there is a notice for the bid to tender, if your company win this tender through my effort i will be entitled to 2% commission of the total contract fund as a gratification from my company, but this money will be paid to me after you must have received your full payment from the commission.

Terms of payment: If the contract is awarded to you, the commission makes an upfront/advance payment of 80% T/T to start the production and the remaining 20% will be paid to you before supply, all payments must to be confirmed from your bank before shipment.

Means of payment: - Bank to Bank transfer system, to be confirmed by your bank.

Delivery time: - 360 days from the date of initial payment.

Proforma Invoice: -FOB Country of Products origin.

port of Delivery/Shipment Destination: - Tema Sea Port Accra Ghana.

Partial shipment and contract review is allowed.

Your Soonest reply is needed.

I look forward to hearing from you by return & to develop a long term business relationship with you soon.

Best Regards,

Mr Jacob Sako.
Accredited Agent.

Either they got the joke- or these are VERY scary people. What do you think? 

Inciting Hate Through Artistic Expression

I have been an artist my whole life ( writer and a musician). This is not something I chose to be- it is who I am. Music and words called to me, as they are the master and I am the servant. I am not a slave, but a willing participant, and I do not regret a single day- single moment- a single creative impulse.

To my family- both immediate and  extended have always seen me as a freak- as someone that has a screw loose- or that I have something psychologically wrong with me. They call me "weird" even now  after 44 years. I gladly wear this badge - but it took many years for me to recover from the kind of judgment I have received from those closest to me.

I don't like the same things others do. I don't dress the right way. I don't even keep my beard appropriately trimmed. I am an outcast from my blood, but what they don't realize is that on these fringes, I have been the happiest and most creative.

Do I watch sports? No. Do I say appropriate things all the time? No. Do I conform? Definitely not. Am I always neat and tidy? No. Do I eat  the right things? I try.

Do I wear designer clothes? Not unless they are on some back rack or I find them at my favorite store- Goodwill. And then, I choose it because I like the way it looks, not because of the label.

I wear wrinkly coats, and undersized hats. I like plaids, and my hair is always a work in progress.

I am an artist. Deal with it.

Can I play a mean flute? Hell yes.
Can I write? You bet!
Can I add really inappropriate lyrics to songs? Much to the chagrin of my wife- definitely.
Am I happy? I am joyous.


When I was seven, I walked into the local music store, and my parents and sales person asked me what instrument I wanted to play. I said the flute.

WHAT? FLUTE?

What was wrong with me. For many years I created a story that was half true to explain my choice. I said, " I wanted to play the flute because that was where the pretty girls were."

It is half true because, I did say that- but it was not totally true.

I got to hear lovely words like- Fag, pansy, and gay attributed to any guy who played the flute- even then at the store at the age of seven. I mean boys played trumpets, and drums- not the flute.

For the record- I am a heterosexual male. No question there. But I had to defend it. It would have been easier to give up my pursuit- but I loved playing the flute. In fact, I still do.

It was not just the kids at school, but it was my own flesh and blood that referred to me, in not a subtle way, as gay. There is nothing wrong with being a gay male, it was just that I am not gay.

Add to that, that I hated, I mean hated sports, and it was like putting nails in my coffin. Instead of baseball practice, I wanted more flute lessons, and I wanted to be in the theater. My father, a mean boy from the streets of Hell's Kitchen was fit to be tied.

In my early teens- I was depressed and stressed. I wanted to please my family, but I wanted to perform on stage too. This resulted in medications and therapy.

Three things saved my life- and I mean that in the literal sense.

One, was that I was very active in music and the theater. I was a kid, but I was treated as an equal on stage. I pushed myself to be the best- not because my family wanted it, but because the better I got, the better response I got from my music and theater family.

The second thing was a therapist that said, "Stop trying to please them, and be true to yourself. You will never match up to their expectations, and in a few years you will be on your own. You have to be yourself."

Man, those words gave me permission to let go, and just stop trying to be something I was not. That did not mean my family accepted me anymore, it just meant I cared less about their jabs and their demands to be the macho man in the Armani suit.

The third, part, and I have to thank my mother (probably the only person that understood me), was she allowed me to got to an arts school in North Carolina at the age of 14. I was dying in regular high school. I was beginning to skip more than I was going- I was not like the others- I was too artsy and too adult.

I thrived with others like me- 24/7 artists. I could have lived there forever.

I have had ups and downs and career decisions that were based on what others said I should do, but now I am at a point in my life, I am doing exactly what I wanted. 24/7 artist.

My wife gets me. My daughter gets me. And my wife's family gets me.

My family does not get me.

The reason I am writing this is because my middle daughter has electric blue hair, gauges in her ears, a ring in her nose and VISUAL ART in her soul. She dresses, acts, and breathes like an artist. She is the same as me, and now she is experiencing what I did- rejection, scorn, and judgment. People judge her by what she says, what she posts, and what she wears. I am the devil's servant for allowing her to express who she is, only to have adults at her school and my family degrade and insult her.

To them- I say two words- "Bugger Off!"

Someone said to me today- what they felt was an insult- but to me was the GREATEST compliment ever- "John, she is weird just like you."

Yes she is. She is an artist, and I will defend her to the end of my life to be who she is. (Yes- she has been called a lesbian as well. To my knowledge she isn't, but who cares if she is. Love is love).

My daughter was upset by what they said about her and I told her; "You say you don't understand them. The real truth is that they do not in any way understand you. If they did, they would see the beautiful girl I see every day,"

We are proud to be artists. So we dress quirky. So our hair has its own agenda- combed today, tomorrow pink or tousled, or maybe bald. We are not trying to be different- We are different. Why can't others understand and love us for our weirdness? Why does creative expression incite such hate?

I don't know- but at this point in my life? I don't care. Love me? Hate me? I love myself and chuckle every time I see myself in the mirror. Can you do the same?

My Brain Did Me a Dirty

Part of the mania of being a writer is that you never know when inspiration- translated a complete obsession to write down and brain dump an idea- will hit you.

My two year old son asked for a story at bedtime- I did not want to get up and get a book because it was late and so I made up a story. When I was done- he said it was a good story, and promptly nodded off. Technically I went to sleep but I left my brain on.

I woke up early- too early and had to write the story down, which I did with my fountain pen and paper from my printer.

What happened was Dr Seussian in complete iambic pentameter.

I am not a children's story writer and surely I am not a poet. But when I was done- 6 pages later I realized my brain had done me a dirty.

It had taken some serious social and societal issues from my past as a social worker and from my own personal family struggles- and had turned them it into anthropomorphic animal characters. I re-read it a couple of times out loud to my family- and realized my subconscious was giggling in the back room of my mind.

This is how creative writing occurs- not with our waking, rational mind- that is the fodder of journalistic integrity based on facts not folly.

No, true creative writing comes from that back room- and when that door opened, I could not concentrate on anything else. I had to write it from beginning to end. Then I typed it from beginning to end. Then I had my first cup of coffee and pondered  my sanity- I created rhyme? A children's story with a moral undertone as a mirror to the atrocities of what happens to children caught in the court system and between warring families? WTF?

Now what?

I can't draw worth a spit, so do I need an illustrator? Do I just pitch it somewhere and hope they pair me with an artist? Do I submit it to a ....uhh.... poetry contest? (seems very foreign to me because I NEVER saw myself writing that sort of prose).

Help me folks- I am in new territory here.

Brain Bridges- Part 1 - Professional Speakers and Brain Lag

I have different methods for writing fiction and non-fiction, and this is because I believe that we use different parts of our brain when we are writing, editing and dictating. I am creating a series of posts that explore how we write and offer some solutions to make your writing better through some unconventional methods.

When we are speaking, we are using a part of our brain involved with the production of speech. (I won't bore you with the anatomy, just realize that different parts of your brain control different functions).

I work with a lot of professional speakers and they have developed the part of the brain with reciting facts, and ideas, and depending on the type of talk they are doing they may be using the creative part of their brain, rather than the one that is involved in memory recitation. Some of these speakers are great at doing improv, while others are not.

If they add a visual element to their talk this may be distracting to them, unless they can either ignore it or have a strong bridge between the visual parts of their brain and the verbal parts. The concept of bridging is important, because when we are young we develop these pathways in our brain. Throughout our lives we continue to develop more bridges, but they are more difficult and harder to form. These are actual neural connects in our brain- think of them as roots of one tree connecting to another tree. They intertwine and fuse together. The more connections, the stronger the connections.

If  a speaker does not have a strong connection between their auditory, verbal, and visual parts of their brain, they may get tripped up and pause, and become distracted. Consider that computer you are using right now- when you have too many windows open or the computer is doing large processes, there can be a lag. The better and more integrated the components are, the greater the speed and their is less lag.

SOLUTION-

1. First you must assess if you speak and can have distractions such as sound and visual components going on at the same time.

2. If you are find you are pausing in your speaking, then remove some of the components one by one to determine where the lag is occurring.

3. Decide whether the components that are lagging you are important- if not ditch them. If they are- then you have to practice over and over again to strengthen the bridge. It's hard work, much like physical exercise, because you are actually changing the physiology and structure in your brain. You are growing connections.

4. Reassess often and determine your progress- go through steps 1-3 again.




In the next installment- You will learn why speakers don't always make the best writers.

Wine, Brownies, and Talks of Commas

When two writers meet, eventually the conversation turns toward grammar. It was not surprising that over some grilled meat and wine, that my mother-in-law and I talked about commas.

"I like the posts on grammar on Facebook," she offered.

In this picture- a comma saves people's lives!

"It's rabbit season!"

"No, it's pedestrian season!"

We began discussing the evolution of the use of a comma, and some of people's use or more importantly lack of use.

Example:

There is a bridge spanning the river from Davenport, Iowa, to Moline, Illinois.

Is there a new kind of grammar that allows us to write:

There is a bridge spanning the river from Davenport Iowa to Moline Illinois.

There are arguments on both sides ( I will take a stand that the first one is correct).

My wife's family and I drank "Barn Dance Red" red wine from Tabor Wineries, which is a winery in a century old farm near the small town of Baldwin, in Eastern Iowa. We ate chocolate brownies that were only made more delicious with the wine we were sipping.

The discussion turned to 'which' and 'that'. These are grammar rules that we were not taught but that spell checker on Microsoft Word often picks up. The rule is if you use the word 'that' you do not need a comma, but if you use the word 'which' you have to use a comma before the phrase it begins. An example is a sentence I already used.

"My wife's family and I drank "Barn Dance Red" red wine from Tabor Wineries, which is a winery in a century old farm near the small town of Baldwin, in Eastern Iowa."

We ended the discussion, and our wine with a final quandary. Why was Word so hung up on passive voice? There are sentences that just would not work any better way, so why does Word have to point out every instance. Sure, an active voice is important and more compelling, but can't we just relax and be passive sometimes? You know- sit and sip some red wine and pair it with some double fudge brownies?