By
Elizabeth Rose
Last month, we covered the subject of public speaking and just what to do once
you reached the podium. This month, we'll talk about what to do before you get
there. In other words, you've been asked to speak - so how do you decide just
what to speak on?
First things first. There are a few questions you need to ask yourself before
you can answer this.
What kind of a group are you speaking to? How much do they know or want to know
about writing? Are any of them already published, or how many have finished
writing a book? Are they there just for entertainment, or expecting to learn
something?
Since you're a writer, we'll assume you've been asked to speak on something pertaining to writing. So ask yourself - and ask the establishment where you will be speaking as well - how much of your audience will be authors or aspiring authors?
Grade School
Once you find this out, you can gear your talk in the appropriate direction. For example, if you're speaking at a grade school, you need to speak more on the thrills of being a published (or aspiring) author, and leave out the facts your books (if you write romance) include kissing and sex, or that your books (if you write murder mystery) involve someone being killed, or people using weapons. Instead, you can focus on the idea that they too can someday become writers and possibly have a book published. You can also talk about what really makes a good story, and let them answer and come up with ideas.
Church Group
If you're speaking to a Baptist church group, you may want to once again, steer away from the sex in your book, as well as the fact your hero drinks, has done drugs in his earlier days, or anything that leads one down the wrong spiritual path. Instead, you can focus on characters who have reformed or changed because of faith or belief and also changed others.
Left-brained or Old Fashioned
If you're speaking to a group of left-brained people, or those who are old-fashioned and only believe in things that can be scientifically proven, then leave out the fact your hero has been cursed by the Greek gods and shapeshifts into a centaur at night. Instead, you can talk about ancient Greece and ancient customs. You may be able to slip in bits and pieces of the Greek myths, but be sure to keep it more on a history level rather than on one of curses or religion.
Questions from the audience
Okay, now once you've decided just what kind of audience you'll have, you need to be prepared for what kind of questions they may ask. You know once that third grader sees your clinch cover, he's going to ask if your characters kiss a lot. Instead of blushing and not knowing how to tame the hundreds of kids that just started laughing, you need to have a way to relate what you write to something they know.
All kids at one time or another have heard of fairy tales. So what if your hero and hero kiss? After all, didn't the prince save Snow White from her silent everlasting slumber with one small kiss? They may think romance is icky, and only for adults, but remind them of the facts that many of the Disney movies are really romances in disguise. What about Beauty and the Beast? Little Mermaid? Cinderella or Tarzan? They all have the element of romance in the stories, so in reality they are watching romance as well as adventure. Show them how this attraction between two people adds character and depth to the story and makes the people seem real.
As for that church group - be prepared of what to say if one of them tells you you're going straight to hell for writing such smut. Focus more on the emotions and the spiritual aspect of love rather than on the physical.
As for the skeptics who won't believe in anything remotely paranormal - don't even try to convince them. Instead, you may want to talk about your journey in writing, your background, or how you started on the path to get to where you are now.
Brain Pickers
Now, if you're speaking to a group of people who dabble in writing, you need to gear your talk differently. These people are not here for mere awe and entertainment like the last three groups were. They are here not for the reason of supporting you or buying your book afterwards either. They are here for themselves. They're here because of curiosity, and looking for guidance. They have just started writing a book, or have been thinking of writing one, or maybe have just finished one. This kind of group would be found maybe at a library function. They like to read, and have started on the journey of trying to become an author. Face it. They are here to pick your brain.
They will probably all be writers from mixed genres, so you will want to focus your talk on things a bit more "generic." You will want to give them the basics, and information that can be used by someone writing a suspense thriller as well as someone writing romance. Think of this as a 101 class. It's their introduction to the journey you've been through. They want facts, but you need to start from the bottom. Don't take for granted they know how to submit a manuscript, or that the work should be double-spaced. They will have pens in hand and be scribbling down everything you say, trying to find out how to go about getting published.
In this kind of group, there may be some who are already well past the stage of "make sure to have headers and all pages numbered." If you see that happening, then try to suggest books for them to read to learn how to do things. Or classes they can take, rather than give them step by step information on how to start.
Travel Group
Another kind of group may be one who is there to learn about a certain subject. I set my book in Peru, and maybe this is a travel group. I'd want to relay my experiences with my trip to Peru, or possibly even bring slides or photos of some of the places in my book. These are the people who would like to see where the heroine lives or the type of hats the Quechua people wear. This kind of group won't give a fig about how to get an editor's attention or how to get a book published. They are hear to learn of history and culture.
Experienced Writers
The last kind of group would be a specialized group who are writers too. If you write romance, this may be a room full of people who have been writing romance for the last ten years, and want to know how to make their books better so they too can sell and be published.
With this group, you're going to have to give them a whole lot more than a slide show of Peru or the basics of putting goal, motivation and conflict into your writing. They will want the meat - the secrets of how you became published. They'll want to know how to catch the editor's attention and what new lines are starting up. They'll want to know how to put the necessary ingredients into a category romance, and just what elements to leave out. These are your peers. They are just about at the point you are at in their own careers - maybe more advanced. You'll want to tell them something they haven't heard a hundred times before. So think about what you learned and what you wished you had known when you first started. Tell them something that will help them and at the same time inspire them to move forward, and to never give up hope.
Be prepared, but flexible
So all in all, you need to research your audience before you get there. But there will always be surprises, and even though you think you're talking to kids, there will also be adults with questions of their own. Even though they may be a group of new writers, chances are someone in the crowd will be more advanced and have questions of their own.
So have something prepared, but also have a backup plan if you can. A lot of what you're speaking on, may be altered or "winged" at the last moment. But that's all right. Just talk from your heart. Be honest with them as well as yourself. And let them lead you in the direction your speech should go, being guided by their own backgrounds and they types of questions they ask.
Gook luck and go forth - and speak!
Elizabeth Rose
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