I’ve always enjoyed reading books on “writing right” – like Writing Well or Eats, Shoots & Leaves. I was late to the party and finally read On Writing by Stephen King. The book is a combination of the author’s writing advice and a memoir.

After reading King’s book, it made me appreciate his working class background because of the personal experiences infused into his stories and characters. In writing, he says to tell the truth (along the same lines of Pablo Picasso’s expression about never painting a lie). It’s well worth the read – especially his rants against adverbs.

Some of my favorite passages include:

• “The more you read, the less apt you are to make a fool of yourself with your pen or word processor.”
• “This [writing] isn’t a popularity contest, it’s not the moral Olympics, and it’s not church. But it’s writing, damn it, not washing your car or putting on your eyeliner. If you can take it seriously, we can do business. If you can’t or won’t, it’s time for you to do something else. Wash the car, maybe.”
• “Write with the door closed. Rewrite with the door open.”
• “Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.”

Share your favorite inspirational writing tip and Costa DeVault will select a winner to send a complimentary copy of Stephen King’s book.

A big “congratulations!” goes out to our very own Doreen Overstreet, senior account executive, who was recently named the FPRA Orlando-area chapter’s “Member of the Year.” This honor is a testament to her outstanding leadership, demonstrated enthusiasm, extraordinary involvement and loyal support.

Photo source: @FPRAOrlando

From fare hikes to employee strikes, Spirit Airlines has been affected by it all in recent months. Regardless of how they are portrayed in the media, Heather Harvey, senior manager of customer relations and luggage resolution for Spirit – and the woman behind @Spirit_Helper – is on a mission to turn negative experiences into positive ones.

I was first introduced to the @Spirit_Helper account in September 2009 when I was planning a trip for a group of friends. I asked my loyal Twitter base if they had heard of any flight deals. Heather was not just the only airline to respond, she was also fast and directed me to one of their Red Light Specials. That day, I became a part of their membership club and booked five tickets.

Fast forward five months to my travel date: Heather was there to help when I ran into a ticketing issue and had several questions regarding Spirit’s carry-on policy.

Sure, any company can monitor key industry words (e.g., “flight,” “airline”) and respond to promote their company. But, Heather and Spirit take it a step further. On any given day, you can take a peek at her Twitter feed and see that she isn’t just pushing out Spirit deals. She is asking questions, interacting and most importantly: helping.

I continue to fly Spirit because of Heather. I continue to recommend Spirit to my friends and family because of Heather. In the past year, I’ve flown three different roundtrip flights on Spirit (one of which, four of my friends accompanied me) and my parents have each purchased two roundtrip flights. I’d say their investment in Twitter has more than paid off.

Who are some of your favorite companies on Twitter? Please share in the comments, and let’s give them credit where credit is due.

Throughout my hunger-driven pregnancy, one of the most addictive shows to watch was the Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Here, chefs and foodies share their favorite dishes and the restaurants at which you can find them.

To pay tribute to the show as a public relations professional, I wanted to share the “Best Thing I Ever Pitched.” My beloved clip wasn’t a national media hit – rather a personal one that involved my grandfather. It ran seven years ago in The Daily Sun, the local paper for The Villages – a large retirement community in Florida.

I pitched Biria USA’s EZ Boarding Bicycle. The bike was ideal for older adults because it had a low cross bar, creating a step-through frame that was extremely easy to mount.  I knew it would be perfect for The Villages, which had a bike shop on-site. But in order to do the story the writer needed a testimonial about the product from a resident. Enter my grandfather (or as I call him my “Opa”).

After explaining what was needed … as well as describing to him what I actually do for a living, Opa agreed to participate. He said as long as it wasn’t an advertisement or unethical, he was willing to give his opinion about the bike. Three days later, he was featured in a front-page story titled, “Pedal Power” – with a photo of him riding the EZ Boarding Bike.

Opa knew it meant a lot to me, and he genuinely liked the bike, so the pitch and story worked out well. I have the article in my office, and it makes me smile because it reminds me how important my family is in supporting my career choice – and how you have to be resourceful when pitching.

Share your favorite pitches if you have them – and enjoy.

Sometimes the ever-changing dynamics of owning a business can be stressful, overwhelming and tiresome. And, managing a variety of personalities can often be difficult. How about adding a family tree to that mix? For some, that might be enough to reconsider where they will be spending Thanksgiving dinner.

The namesakes of our firm, Linda Costa and Nathan DeVault recently shared their thoughts on the dynamic of their family-owned business with the Orlando Business Journal.

What’s their key to success? Read last Friday’s OBJ article to find out.

When it comes to social media, timing is everything. In the age of instant communication via Twitter, e-mail’s “You will receive a response within 48 hours” auto reply just isn’t fast enough. Social media users want a response – and they want it now. An unofficial survey conducted by tech blogger Joe Porter shows that 61 percent of respondents expect a reply to their tweet in less than four hours.

Some of the most successful social media case studies boast lightning-fast response times. For example, take McDonald’s Shrek glass recall in June. In some cases, the company replied to concerned tweeters in less than 20 minutes.

What does this mean for your business? If you are going to commit to a social media presence, you need to do it 100 percent. Don’t just make a Twitter profile and expect it to be enough. You need to monitor your brand constantly. When someone complains, don’t waste time trying to figure out what to do – have a plan. Whether you solve the problem publicly (with an @-reply) or privately (with a direct message), the consumer will see that you care. And that just might turn the situation around and earn you some praise.

Have you complained to a company via Twitter before? What were the results?

The Orlando Chapters of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) recently hosted their annual media roundtable, where members of the local media gave PR pros the low-down on everything from pet peeves to their extra curricular activities. Here is a small sampling of informational tidbits you might not have known…

Katy Widrick (@growingbolder), executive producer of Growing Bolder

• “Growing Bolder recently got picked up for national syndication on PBS, so we’re always looking for inspirational stories of people over the age of 50 overcoming obstacles and doing extraordinary things.”

Raquel Giorgio (@RaquelGiorgio), managing editor at WKMG-TV

• “The station is open to talking to experts via Skype.”

Peter King (@PeterKingCBS), news correspondent at CBS Radio

• “We like stuff that makes sound because radio is theater of the mind. That being said, if you have an accompanying audio file (e.g., screeching tires for a car story), send it with the pitch.”

Barry Glenn (@OrlandoMag), managing editor of Orlando Magazine

• “Orlando Magazine just released the premiere issue of Orlando Wedding, a new bi-annual publication aimed to help local brides-to-be plan for their big day.”

Mark Baratelli (@MarkBaratelli), editor of The Daily City

• “Our blog’s target market isn’t just kids in skinny jeans; it’s also suburban moms who want to know what interests their kids (who wear skinny jeans).”

John Cutter (@johncutter), digital media editor of the Orlando Sentinel

• “When pitching a story, include video if you have it. Newspapers need online visuals, and video is a great asset to any story.”

Thanks to the media representatives who were present and, most importantly, candid. Can you share any other tips about working with the media? If so, please post them in the comments.