How to Write a TED Talk

On March 24, 2018, I crossed off dream that had been on my bucket list for years. On March 24, 2018, I gave a TED Talk at TEDxBirmingham on writing, feminism, and how sharing your story can change the world. You can watch it here.

I think all writers should add “Deliver a TED Talk” to their list of goals and not just because it’s something I’ve done. The work that goes into composing a TED Talk can sharpen your writing skills and the preparation that goes into successfully delivering a TED Talk will improve your public speaking skills, which will come in handy when you’re asked to speak at a writing or blogging conference or when you’re doing a reading to promote your latest book.

Before you can deliver a good TED Talk you have to write one. I’m going to help you do just that with this post. And while the tips I’m going to offer you helped me write a strong talk, these are also steps that could be used to write a strong op-ed or personal essay.

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June 2018 Goals + Plans

What do you want?

This question keeps coming up.

It’s come up in sessions with my therapist, in chats with my best friends, and even in Bible studies I’ve been reading on the YouVersion app.

And I’ve realized that I honestly don’t know the answer. I’m no longer sure of what I want for my career as a writer, blogger, or teacher. Or maybe I do know what I want but I’m afraid I don’t deserve it.

Whatever the case may be, my #1 goal for June is to rewrite my vision statement for my life. I’ll start with a simple prompt: It is the year 2023 and I am so proud of the life I have created. And from there I’ll let my imagination go wild.

But I am not just a dreamer. I am a doer, too. Here are my 4 action-oriented goals for June:

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Is your blog GDPR ready?

A few weeks ago I set aside a couple hours to work on getting the See Jane Write website ready for the General Data Protection Regulation (or GDPR) set to go into effect May 25. I figured it would take me about an hour to read up on GDPR and figure out exactly what it is and another hour to make whatever changes were necessary.

Three hours later I found myself in tears, drowning in legal information I didn’t understand and declaring that I was going to shut down See Jane Write LLC so I wouldn’t have to deal with this mess!

So if you’ve been wondering exactly what GDPR is and how it affects you I’m going to try to explain but first a quick disclaimer: I AM NOT A LAWYER and this is not legal advice. I’m just going to share some of what I’ve learned and point you toward some resources that might help you.

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Introducing the SJW Girls Write-In

Last month I asked the ladies of the See Jane Write Members Collective what they were struggling with most regarding writing and blogging and nearly everyone responded with the same reply: TIME! They’re constantly struggling to find the time to work on their book or blog.

Unfortunately, I can’t add more hours to the day but I can provide a space for women to hang out and write. After all, that’s why I started See Jane Write in the first place. And that’s why last month I started hosting a weekly virtual “girls write-in” for See Jane Write Collective members. (If you’re not a member you can apply to join here.)

But I’ve decided to take this a step further for the women of Birmingham and offer an in-person girls write-in for members and non-members.

The See Jane Write Birmingham Girls Write-In will be Thursday, May 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. at DISCO, 5500 First Avenue North in Woodlawn.

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Why Writing Is a Communal Act

Writing is a communal act.

Now you may be thinking, “No, it’s not! We must write in solitude to produce our best work.”

But as Natalie Goldberg says in her book Writing Down the Bones, “Contrary to popular belief, a writer is not Prometheus alone on a hill of fire. We are arrogant to think we alone have a totally original mind.”

In other words, everything we write is somehow influenced by the work of writers who have come before us.

But it goes even deeper than that.

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