The Undiscovered Country

Tell Me It Ain't So!

If there is anything that will seriously tempt me to quit my (currently pipe) dream of publishing my books, it's this:

http://www.stevelaube.com/and-now-in-the-center-ringdancing-authors/#comments

In short, the article describes how in order to succeed, writers must emulate musicians and become more publicly engaged.

For a wall flower like me, those words are like sunlight to a vampire. I want to hiss and cower into a dark corner.

I know it's true, and something I definitely have to work out if my books are to succeed. It's how to go about it I find both intimidating and terrifying.

My books came from me and my imagination; they are not me. I want them to stand on their own. "Performing" for my books' audience makes it less about the books and more about me.

Plus there's the added voice inside me that says I am simply not interesting enough to attract an audience and keep them engaged long enough to read my books. I'm not smart enough, I'm not witty enough, I'm not pretty enough . . . and a million other excuses.

But!

Which I will discuss in my next entry (I planned on writing it before running into the link above, but haven't started, yet. This entry seems a perfect introduction, so I hope I have you curious and engaged enough to return when I do have it written).