Communications/Storytelling Even In the Most Unlikely Professions

I dislike lawyers. I really do. I can say this in spite of the fact that my three best friends are lawyers. It has taken me some time, but I can grudgingly admit that maybe not all lawyers are evil.

I came across an article in the AJC that was actually a nice, inspiring story about a former lawyer who decided he wanted to make an impact on kids’ lives and made a career transition to teaching. In his previous profession, this man used to “tell stories” to try to keep prisoners off of death row. He realized that judges need to see each client as a human so he changed his communication strategy to telling humane stories instead of just spouting legal jargon, which was boring his audience. So instead he talked about how one of his clients served in the Army or how another client had suffered wrongdoings earlier in his life. Let’s forget for a second the victims and their family members who may have suffered at the hands of these criminals who were now getting off easier due to the finesse of this lawyer. This story is not about that and it does seem like Mr. former lawyer is more than making up for it.

This storytelling method he used actually succeeded in helping some of his clients and just goes to show how important targeting your message is to the correct audience. It applies to all small businesses and entrepreneurs. If your audience isn’t responding, change your communication tone and message and it just may prove effective.

A Student for Life

I have one more week of my Grammar Refresher course I am taking through Evenings at Emory. I have said this before, but something about being on a bustling college campus just makes me feel more intelligent. I guess it's being surrounded by students and the general academic ambiance. Even the musty library we meet in smells smart!

A six-week course definitely forces one to dedicate time and attention to the subject at hand in addition to physically attending the class. It's the only way someone can really learn and retain the information. My subject was grammar and I was very intent about getting and retaining a good overview and really learning the basics again. As I have heard from friends pursuing their Masters Degree, you become very serious about your education and school when you are older and can appreciate the time commitment and financial commitment attached to it.

I have signed up for one more course on Copy Editing and Proofreading for the end of this month and I look forward to seeing where and how I can apply my new knowledge and skills. Ongoing education is so important and I definitely recommend an Evening at Emory program.

What's IN What's OUT

I love lists that tell consumers what's "in" and what's "out." They usually tend to be ridiculous and dramatic but I actually rather liked this one I found in People Magazine's Style issue. Here are a few things from it (I particulariy agree with what's "out")

In:
Competitive Workouts (Biggest Loser style to cheer each other on)
Sports Bars (cheap beer - a sign of the times)

Out:
Wireless Ear Pieces (this is "a relic of precollapse Wall Street" according to the Zandl Group)
Trashing Electronics (recycle them instead!)

The Atlanta Writers Club September Meeting

This past rainy weekend I went to my first Atlanta Writers Club meeting. I am super excited to have found this community of fellow writers where I can network and advance my writing skills. I love the fact that the meetings are free and you don't need to sign up to attend.

For the September meeting they had acclaimed author of Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Mark Victor Hanson, present to the group. He was very humorous and a good storyteller; however, he basically was there to pimp his $1000 writing bootcamp to get authors published. He did offer a lot of value but I was shocked at how many people were actually signing up for program. This is not the first inspirational speaker to do this - I had the pleasure of seeing , James Ray, co-author of The Secret. He led a great event at a local church and I was very motivated until the very end when he started selling the audience on this workshop they HAD to sign up for that was critical for them to meet their goals and succeed in life. People were literally running up the aisle to sign up as he offered a discount to the first few people to register. I think James and Mark have the same business coach because they employed almost identical tactics to sell their respective workshops. I would love to hear from any of these participants if the experience met his/her expectations. I sincerely hope it did but I have my doubts.

The highlight of my weekend was the next speaker: Kathryn Stockett, break-out author of The Help. She mainly spoke about how she got published, her background, a little about the process of writing her book, and then she very candidly answered audience questions. She was such a breath of fresh air and so authentic. You could tell she was also very humble and still seemed surprised herself at how successful her book is doing. She is definitely an author that I will be following in the future and I wish her nothing but success. I look forward to my next AWC event.

Decatur Book Festival - Day 2

This was the first “real” day of the festival. I left my house early in anticipation of the overcrowded parking situation and by 10:00 am I was at my first panel to see Charlaine Harris. I’m still not sure how I ended up there as I had never read any of her books but knew she had a big fanbase. Wow, no kidding. The people to see here were not just fans, they were fanatical about her. And at the end of the panel I liked her enough to pick up a Sookie Stackhouse book at the library. Charlaine was personable, humorous, and down-to-earth. I wonder if she would’ve had as many fans there if not for True Blood.

Afterwards I took my time to visit all the vendors and walk around the square. I got several books for quite a steal – you gotta love that aspect of book festivals: cheap books! I also met another very cool vendor, an Atlanta-based Mom who came up with some very creative ways for kids to eat healthy: Cooking for Monkeys. Her blog is a must-see.

I also had the fortune of catching Diana Gabaldon (photo above). Again, never having read any of her books, I was curious what the hype was all about. I got into the line that wrapped around the building and started talking to a few of her fans. All loved her work and were excited about her upcoming book. She gave an interesting talk although she talked SO fast it was sometimes hard to keep up with her since the venue echoed. I was intrigued enough that I picked up her first Outlander book on CD, which I am excited to listen to. (FYI – books on CDs have made my workouts much more interesting!).

And lastly, courtesy of one of the many great food vendors, I picked myself up a delicious veggie corndog. And then proceeded to drop ketchup all over my shirt. Oh well, the veggie dog was worth it.

My Experience at the Decatur Book Festival (Day 1)

This past weekend I attended the Decatur Book Festival in Decatur, GA. The festival lasted three days total, and being the big book nerd I am, I attended all three days. I had mixed feelings from some of the panels I attended, but overall the event lived up to my high expectations:

Friday (Day 1):

Free writers workshops were held on the beautiful campus of Agnes Scott. There was a diverse amount to choose from but they all ocurred at the same time which was a shame because they were all interesting. I ended up attending "Putting Flesh on the Bones: How to Write Great Characters" by accomplished author N.M. Kelby. Here are a few takeaways:

-mid-listers are having a tough time in the current publishing world and industry

-engaging, character-driven novels grab editors' attention and are what's selling

-think of characters like a squid - all the tentacles dangle beneath the surface

-what will make people CONNECT? this is very important

-being a writer is about learning, learning, learning

-when you're a writer, be like Santa - always give gifts and surprises

-introduce and build characters through dialogue and action.

-start with physicalness so people aren't lost; don't lose or isolate your reader

-characters MUST reveal themselves or evolve

-romances must be earned; use real emotion, romances require a connection

-don't forget to revise and revise again

-wallow in rejection or depression, and then shake yourself off; feel awful and use it for your characters

-write one sentence - the truest sentence you know

Cyber-risk and Liability Associated With Your Blog

It was bound to happen, but this article just astounds me: Backup For Your Blog. I clicked on the article because I thought it was literally going to tell me how to protect and backup my material. Rather, it talks about how increasingly blogs for corporate use AND personal use are being scrutinized for potential litigiation risks. The article cites these two examples:

-Last month a Chicago landlord sued a former tenant alleging defamation after she claimed in a tweet that her residence had mold.
-In San Francisco, a chiropractor sued a patient for alleged defamation after the patient posted a negative review on Yelp. The case was settled early this year.

What about freedom of speech? I rely on sites such as Yelp and Kudzu for reviews on most new services, restaurants, contractors, etc that I use and bad reviews are just as pertinent as good reviews. I don't know the whole story but it is scary that revealing a negative experience can turn into a potentially devastating lawsuit. Of course, a level of responsibility for your words and actions is still required as once you publish on the web, you lose privacy and anonymity.

My husband doesn't have FaceBook, Twitter, a Blog, or use LinkedIn and he is constantly telling me that I put way too much personal information out there, even on "protected" sites like FaceBook. I am much more careful now with what I say than I was six months ago.

Read the full article - very insightful.