This weekend, after having finished editing a 400-page manuscript, I am preparing for a series of five presentations next week at the Ojai Wordfest. Busy, busy.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve mentioned the Wordfest before. This is the second year they\u2019ve held it here in Ojai and it is an interesting concept which pretty much involves the whole town. Various merchants agree to have an author read or speak to customers at set times throughout the week. There will also be speakers\/readers at the library, in private homes and other venues throughout the community. It\u2019s a lot of fun and it\u2019s well attended. To learn more about the event, go to http:\/\/www.ojaiwordfest.wordpress.com<\/a> You\u2019ll find a calendar of events there.<\/p>\n Speech Preparation How-To<\/strong> I write my speech and then I go over it many times, tweaking as I go. When I am satisfied, I condense it to notes and begin practicing it while I walk each day. I might memorize (or loosely memorize) the first line and the last line. Other than that, the speech may take on a different flavor each time I practice it. This means I am also free to go with my intuition upon meeting my audience and gearing my talk to their specific needs.<\/p>\n I know my material, so my main concern, when formulating a presentation, is organization. I want to share the information and anecdotes in an organized manner, so that the material flows\u2014much the same as you would do when writing a book or an article.<\/p>\n If I need to memorize a speech, which I may do for a much longer presentation, I do all of my rehearsing while out walking. Has anyone else discovered the benefits of rehearsing speeches while walking? What works for you? <\/p>\n Grandparent Scam<\/strong> Don\u2019t fall for this scam. As I understand it some do. My mother was the first one I know to get the call and she handled herself and the criminal on the other end of the phone quite well. I got it next and, recognized the scam for what it was because of my mother\u2019s experience\u2014but also because my grandsons would never talk to me the way this young man spoke to me. <\/p>\n Protect yourself from telephone scammers just like you do Internet scammers. <\/p>\n New Unsolicited Review for Publish Your Book!<\/em><\/strong> \u201cI really appreciate this book. I wish that I had known about it before I started my own publishing journey. It is packed full of things every beginning author needs to know to be successful. It talks about mistakes beginning authors make, some of which I made, also things like how to pick a publisher, self-publishing, writing a book proposal, and even some marketing basics with lots of tips and ideas. She includes the addresses of many helpful websites and even has a chapter on bookkeeping for authors. I recommend this book for any beginning author and anyone who wants to know more about the book publishing industry.” <\/p>\n If you haven\u2019t ordered your copy of Publish Your Book<\/em>, why not visit Amazon.com this weekend and place an order. If you are thinking about writing a book, you\u2019re involved in the process of writing or publishing a book, you will not be disappointed in my book. Let it be your guiding light that helps you make better decisions on behalf of your project. This weekend, after having finished editing a 400-page manuscript, I am preparing for a series of five presentations next week at the Ojai Wordfest. Busy, busy. I\u2019ve mentioned the Wordfest before. This is the second year they\u2019ve held it here in Ojai and it is an interesting concept which pretty much involves the whole town. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,11,3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\nTwo of my adult grandsons were over for dinner the other night. One of them asked me how I prepare for a speech. I thought some of you might be interested in my response, as well.<\/p>\n
\nBy the way, all of you grandparents out there: Are you aware of the grandparent telephone scam being perpetuated against grandparents, lately? I have received one of the calls, as has my mother and my daughter\u2019s father-in-law. The caller pretends to be your grandson or daughter who is stranded in a foreign country and in need of money. They say, \u201cI can\u2019t call my parents, they don\u2019t know I\u2019m here, so can you send me some money so I can come home?\u201d<\/p>\n
\nHey check this out: I got an Amazon review from someone I don\u2019t know and she doesn\u2019t know me. Don\u2019t you love when that happens? Here\u2019s the review:<\/p>\n
\n http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com<\/a>
\n http:\/\/www.patriciafry.com<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"