The Shy Writer

I'll be heading up to Scottsdale in a week for a regional RWA conference. I'll get to meet my buds Jenna and Kate for the first time, and scores of other authors whom I know online. (Hi, Chey! Hi, Paige!) I'm very excited about that.

What I'm not so excited about--and I should be--is my one-on-one with the St. Martins editor. Have I started preparing my pitch yet? you ask. Ha! Silly willy. Whatever were you thinking?

The other thing I am excited about is ... I'm not doing a booksigning. If I were, I can only imagine the thoughts going through my mind. What if nobody comes to my spot? What if they do only to tell me my book was okay. Just okay. What if...

You see? Right now, no booksigning=good thing. Especially since I only have four things out. Next year... well, we'll have to see about that.

And interestingly enough--and quite timely--I received the latest edition of The Writer. There's an article in there titled "Handle the Spotlight." It includes tips on going from a private writer to a public speaker. The two I focused on (because I'm nowhere near ready to be on radio or TV) were: booksignings and conventions.

* Be approachable. Don't just sit at the table waiting for people to talk to you--reach out and touch someone by handing out a book. (Of course, with this little pointer, you probably should be prepared for them to hand it right back to you.)

(Can I tell you this? When I attended the first meeting of my newly formed local RWA chapter, I didn't know anyone. Not a soul. I was about 15 minutes early, but already people had settled into tables with people they knew. So I swallowed--hard--walked up to one table and started introducing myself. They looked at me like I was nuts. With a capital N. What do you think I did then? You got it. I pulled back into myself and slunk off to a table where no one else was sitting, plopped myself down, and figured I'd talk to people if (when, please GOD!) they decided to sit at the same table. Nothing's more crushing than being at a table by yourself. It's like always being the last one chosen for the team. Hmm. Been there, done that, too.)

* Don't be shy. (Hmm. Okay, it says that, but it doesn't tell you how not to be shy.) Everyone who comes into the bookstore (or walks by your table), hand them a bookmark that has a picture and brief description of your book.

* Focus on others, not yourself. Decide to make friends with people who inhibit you. (If you're like me, and many writers are, you'll have LOTS of new friends. Cuz, well, lots of people inhibit you. A lot of times I wish I didn't care what others think of me as much as I do. I think I'd have more fun.)

Anyone have any other tips on how to get over being shy? That doesn't involve massive amounts of alcohol? I want to get over being inhibited, not look like a sloshed idiot.

And tell me what you think of this quote: Shyness has a strange element of narcissism, a belief that how we look, how we perform, is truly important to other people. ~Andre Dubus

So, does this mean I'm really a narcissist deep down? I'm not sure I like that...