Tag Archives: Guy Anthony De Marco

Speaking Engagements as a Tool to Build Your Base

One of the most feared things in the world is death, followed closely by speaking in public. Some folks equate the two as the same thing. Considering that most authors are solitary beasts that hide in their writing dens and poke keys and scribble lines that magically turn into stories, a suggestion that one should consider getting out in front of crowds and talking is up there with making your own medicine in your basement and doing a live-action game of Frogger™ at the Indianapolis 500®.

If you have anxiety or panic attacks about speaking, then it may not be for you. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you can have a medical emergency. If you were able to get through your high school or college class where they made you talk about goofy things for ten minutes before you could sit down, this might be for you.

There are plenty of organizations and corporations that are looking for folks to come in and give a positive speech about almost any subject.  You may be wondering why a software company would want an author to talk to their programmers for fifty minutes. What do they have in common?

Turns out you can fit your self-motivated method of writing into almost any subject. For those programmers, your speech can range from watching out for repetitive stress disorders like carpal tunnel to methods to document your code (think building a worldbuilding bible) to motivational ways to tackle a problem (like your characters have to do to get out of a jam you stuck them in).

If you’ve never had to give a speech in front of a crowd, consider joining Toastmasters. You’ll get lots of excellent training and opportunities to practice in a safe environment. Their entire organization is dedicated to developing communications and leadership skills. You can connect with places looking for folks to give speeches, and there are local chapters all over the place — most likely there’s one in your neighborhood.

When you are ready to get your name out on the speech circuit, look for local organizations first. Businesses, charitable organizations, and even places like libraries, chambers of commerce, and military veteran organizations are looking to bring folks in to talk to their members. You can even combine some charitable service and giving a speech, like going to a retirement home and talking about writing memoirs.

Some professional writing organizations have a speaker’s bureau listing for their members. SFWA is one, and the Missouri Writers Guild is another.

So, if you give a speech and don’t explode on stage, what’s in it for you? The top of the list is getting your name out there in front of a bunch of new folks. Some businesses will buy copies of your books to distribute to their folks. Depending on how famous (or infamous) you are, you can get travel, lodging, and meals covered for distant speaking gigs. It’s similar to going to a convention, where you’re sitting on panels and getting some in-kind reimbursement like free con passes or access to the VIP green room.

And since we’re on the subject of conventions and panels, that is an excellent way to start your speaking career. You’ll get used to talking to a crowded room but you won’t be alone behind the table at the front. Sharing a panel spreads the load between enough folks that the time usually flies.

It may not be a traditional method of getting your name out or even building an email list, but it’s one more arrow in your quiver that you can use on your literary adventures.



About the Author:
DeMarco_Web-5963

Guy Anthony De Marco is a disabled US Navy veteran speculative fiction author; a Bram Stoker Award® and IAMTW Scribe Award finalist; winner of the HWA Silver Hammer Award; a prolific short story and flash fiction crafter; a novelist; an invisible man with superhero powers; a game writer; and a coffee addict. One of these is false.
A writer since 1977, Guy is a member of the following organizations: SFWA, ITW, WWA, SFPA, IAMTW, ASCAP, MWG, SWG, HWA. He hopes to collect the rest of the letters of the alphabet one day. Additional information can be found at Wikipedia and GuyAnthonyDeMarco.com.

Happy Holidays from the Fictorians

It’s Christmas Day 2017, and everyone here at the Fictorians would like to wish you and yours a happy holiday season.

No matter if you’re staring out of the window at a blanket of fresh snow or noticing that there’s a migrating bird resting on your dusty cactus, the holidays are meant for family and friends. Hopefully you are surrounded by both as you read this. Maybe someone is passing you an egg nog or you’re ducking the wads of wrapping paper getting shredded by tiny hands. Perhaps, like me, you’re making a couple of calls to folks who live hundreds of miles away. Take the time to appreciate those you love.

You may wish to appreciate the authors, editors, artists, and publishers you’ve interacted with this year. Networking is still one of the best ways to get published well. If you read a book, why not take some time today to drop a short review wherever you picked up your copy. Even better, post one at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Doing so helps that book get a few more buying eyeballs stopping by. Maybe someone will post one for you because your novel was exceptional. In any case, always consider supporting your fellow creatives. Writing and artwork are not zero-sum games. The more quality creative work is produced, the more the world becomes a tiny bit better.

It’s also a good time to reflect on what happened during the past year. Have you accomplished any of your writing goals? Have you learned anything new that has helped to shape your work? Have you branched out a bit to other genres? Now is the time to start thinking about the new year. It’s only a week away, so perhaps take a bit of time to consider new goals and ideas. Is 2018 the year you publish a novel? Is 2018 the year you join a couple of pro organizations because of the sales you made in 2017? Hopefully you have a lot to be happy about as far as your writing is concerned.

Whatever your answer, all of us with you peace and happiness throughout the holidays and the upcoming new year.


 

About the Author:DeMarco_Web-5963

Guy Anthony De Marco is a disabled US Navy veteran speculative fiction author; a Graphic Novel Bram Stoker Award® nominee; winner of the HWA Silver Hammer Award; a prolific short story and flash fiction crafter; a novelist and poet; an invisible man with superhero powers; a game writer (Sojourner Tales modules, Interface Zero 2.0 core team, third-party D&D modules); and a coffee addict. One of these is false.
A writer since 1977, Guy is a member of the following organizations: SFWA, WWA, SFPA, IAMTW, ASCAP, RMFW, NCW, HWA. He hopes to collect the rest of the letters of the alphabet one day. Additional information can be found at Wikipedia and GuyAnthonyDeMarco.com.

 

New Release: Solar Singularity

Solar Singularity, a new cyberpunk novel set in the world of Gunmetal Games’ Interface Zero 2.0, is now available for pre-order. Published by WordFire Press, the novel will be released on December 6, 2017. Co-written by Fictorians alumni Guy Anthony De Marco, Josh Vogt, and Peter J. Wacks.

A NOVEL SET IN THE UNIVERSE OF INTERFACE ZERO FROM GUNMETAL GAMES

Dubbed Interface Zero by those who created it, the Tendril Access Processor—or TAP—downloads the Global DataNet and Hyper Reality directly into the minds of billions of users across the solar system, bringing the world an unparalleled level of interconnectivity, and danger. Malware plagues the Deep, and hackers manipulate the Tendril Access Processor to upload malicious viruses, to steal secrets, and even the identities of the unwary.

And that is only the beginning.

In 2088 a massive solar flare disrupts Earth’s satellite network, leaving the world in chaos as all TAPs malfunction simultaneously. Hyper Reality overlays are indistinguishable from the physical world, and global riots make the whole world a war zone.

Amidst this madness, two AIs go to war, using humanity as their pawns.

NaNoWriMo Conclusion & Fictorian News

Here we are, the very last moments of NaNoWriMo are ticking away. How did you do? Are you pushing yourself to crawl over the finish line mere minutes before the end of the show? Have you blown past the 50K word count all the way back on November 3rd? Did you only write 5,000 words?

Well, if you did any of the above, then CONGRATULATIONS!

The point of NaNoWriMo is not to write a 50K novel in a month. Surprise! The real goal is to help you to develop a writing habit. If you wrote 5K words a couple of hundred words at a time, then you’re golden. Even if you wrote a measly 100 words a day every day, you’re on your way to developing a writing habit. If you can continue to increase your wordcount up to 200 words a day, that is a complete 60,000 word novel in less than a year. In fact you can have every Sunday off if you wish.

No matter what your wordcount, I am proud of you. If you wrote a single word, that’s one word closer to writing “the end” at the end of a novel. Try to keep writing a little bit each day when November is in the past. Next year try to beat this year’s record. Now you have some writing goals!


And now for a bit of Fictorian news. You’ve seen my name on a lot of articles in the last couple of years. For 2017, you’ve seen my ugly mug at the bottom of almost thirty posts, around three times the number of articles each Fictorian is required to upload.

It’s with a bit of sadness that I announce my retirement from the Fictorians. I’ve enjoyed writing some fun works and doing some of the back-end maintenance on the website, but I feel I need to concentrate on my writing and on new opportunities like being on the board of a venerable writing institution that’s been around for over a hundred years. I’m also in an MFA program that requires a lot of writing, so that also has to take precedence.

I’ll still pop in every so often as a guest poster, so I won’t be disappearing. In fact, my next post is already uploaded and ready for going live on December 25th. I wish all of my readers well and I hope you decide to say hello on my website (http://www.guyanthonydemarco.com) or over on Facebook and Twitter (links on my website). Also, if you see me at a convention, please stop and say hello.

I’ve had a blast working with all of the folks here on the Fictorians, and I hope you continue to stop by and support their continued efforts. I know I’ll still be reading every post and promoting them on social media.

Take care, my friends!

 


 

About the Author:DeMarco_Web-5963

Guy Anthony De Marco is a disabled US Navy veteran speculative fiction author; a Graphic Novel Bram Stoker Award® nominee; winner of the HWA Silver Hammer Award; a prolific short story and flash fiction crafter; a novelist; an invisible man with superhero powers; a game writer (Sojourner Tales modules, Interface Zero 2.0 core team, third-party D&D modules); and a coffee addict. One of these is false.
A writer since 1977, Guy is a member of the following organizations: SFWA, WWA, SFPA, IAMTW, ASCAP, RMFW, NCW, HWA. He hopes to collect the rest of the letters of the alphabet one day. Additional information can be found at Wikipedia and GuyAnthonyDeMarco.com.