Betsy Graziani Fasbinder - From Page to Stage: Inspiration, Tools, and Public Speaking Tips for Writers

from page to stage

Copyright 2018 by Betsy Graziani Fasbinder

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, digital scanning, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please address She Writes Press.

Published August 7, 2018
Printed in the United States of America
Print ISBN: 978-1-63152-463-9
E-ISBN: 978-1-63152-464-6
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018942234

Cover and interior design by Tabitha Lahr

For information, address:
She Writes Press
1563 Solano Ave #546
Berkeley, CA 94707

She Writes Press is a division of SparkPoint Studio, LLC.

This book is dedicated to storytellers, past and present. You turn ink and breath and voice into entire worlds; I am in awe.

It is our stories that make us uniquely human, and sharing those stories in every art form that connects us most intimately to one another. I believe that it is through storytelling that we can bridge the deepest divides between people, connect to one another through compassion and empathy, and create the possibilities for understanding and peace.

My gratitude for stories and those who tell them is beyond measure.

A note to the grammarians of the world

In this book, it is my goal to provide a coachs voice to writers struggling to find the same courage in speaking as they find in their writing. I write here with an intentionally informal, conversational tone and have taken some liberties with the rules of grammar and punctuation to that end. I opt to vary my use of male/female pronouns to be inclusive, rather than always defaulting to one or the other. The skills and ideas taught here are valuable to anyone, of any gender identification. I hope youll appreciate the liberties taken due to my intention of serving the books ultimate purpose.

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
Maya Angelou, Author/Poet

Y oure a writer: published or not, a bestseller or indie. Youve spent years, perhaps decades, writing draft after draft of your works. You take classes, go to conferences, pay dues to writing groups and organizations, and hire coaches, all to hone your craft. You agonize over your stories, excavate your expertise, imagination, and experiencessometimes painful onesto create a collection of poetry, a novel, a nonfiction book, or a memoir. You spend hours in libraries and online doing research. But it doesnt stop there.

Once your book is written, youll likely pay editors and proofreaders to make it publish-ready. You may hunt for an agent or self-publish, in which case youll need a cover designer and an interior designer. Then, youll either DIY or hire a publicist, a website designer, and a social media expert to help build your promotional platform.

After all of that effort, expense, and anguish, you might still sabotage your writings best chance at success.

But Id never do that! you cry.

In fact, I meet authors and aspiring authors all the timemany with beautiful books and extraordinary stories to tellwho do exactly that. How? They sabotage their books success by either avoiding opportunities to speak in public (out of fear or lack of confidence) or they dont prepare themselves to do it well and they squander the opportunities that theyve created by white-knuckling it through a talk or an interview. They spent huge effort building their promotional platform, but forgot that the author herself is the best book promotion tool there is. Ahem. Thatd be you.

Lots of people look at a skilled public speaker and think, I wish I could do that. I wish I could speak with such confidence. I wish I could be so engaging, dynamic, and fascinating. I wish Id gotten that gift. Heres a little secret that Ive learned, first for myself and then through teaching and coaching literally thousands of reluctant speakers: Skilled public speaking is not a gift, but a set of simple, learnable skills that anyone willing to put in the effort can learn.

Just like writing well, public speaking is a set of skills, techniques, and practices. Sure, the skills come more naturally to some than to others, but anyone can improve his speaking skills. Poor public speakers can gain skills and become proficient. Proficient speakers can become polished. Polished speakers can hone the art and become stars. Ive seen it hundreds of times, and from the most unlikely speakers youd ever imagine. Your book and your ideas deserve the best, most skilled ambassador to share them, and that, dear writer, is you.

My morality was formed because booksellers put certain books in my way. We owe them and authors a great debt.

Gabriel Tallent, author, My Absolute Darling

Im a lifelong reader and writer, turned author in 2013. As I heard Gabriel Tallent express his gratitude in the words above at his book launch event in my community, I was reminded of how much books, booksellers, and authors have meant to me throughout my life. I want to be a champion for the voices of creative people, particularly writersmy tribe.

Finding your speaking voice and making it as powerful and unique as your writing voice will help you publish and promote your book and your ideas. That means your stories will find their way into a broader world and give you a wider exposure. Whatever your purpose in writing stories, that purpose will be more possible if you can speak well in public.

I want to spare you the agony so many writers suffer. I want to offer you tools and inspiration to speak with authority, confidence, authenticity, and impact. You deserve it. Your book deserves it.

The world needs your voicelofty, but true. Im not the only one who thinks so.

Done right, a talk can electrify a room and transform an audiences worldview. Done right, a talk is more powerful than anything in written form. Writing gives us words. Speaking brings with it a whole new toolbox.

Chris Anderson, Head of TED, TED Talks

I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.

Lily Tomlin, comedian

Through this book Ill offer plenty of examples, usable tools and techniques, and a whole lot of cheering for your efforts. Some of these you can apply instantly and see changes right away. Others require more practice and take more time to learn. In addition to the tools and techniques, Ill offer other recurring features to help you along:

Quotes. Lots of quotes: I am inspired by beautifully crafted words and use them as inspiration sources, so Im sharing lots of those with you. I hope theyll inspire you, too.

Mental Shifts. While many of the techniques and tools we need for skilled public speaking are of the how to variety (which Ill cover extensively), the biggest barrier to skilled public speaking is often in our thinking and our assumptions. Ill offer Mental Shifts throughout the book to invite you to expand your thinking, challenge what you assume, and welcome new ideas about speaking with confidence and skill.