The Scariest Thing You Will Ever Do as a Writer by Susan Kiernan-Lewis
This is a great post about something all writers should be able to do. Luckily for me, I’ve always been pretty fearless about public speaking. Early in my career I showed up to talk to a college Creative Writing class with no notes, spoke for an hour, and the instructor told me it was the best-organized speech she’d ever heard in that class.
But it never occurred to me that I could take copies of my books and hawk them when it was over. Doh!
We can all still learn, folks. And it’s not too late for you. Get out there and speak!
Interesting. I am not sure if I agree with that 100% though. I made one speech in 2011. In 2012, I have done 3 all ready, with more scheduled next month.
Am I throwing out the baby with the bathwater overlooking Toastmasters? That is the big negative in the post. I suppose it serves a purpose, but for anyone out there actually doing public speaking, it seems a bit superfluous.
Is public speaking about being out there and gaining confidence talking to people? Hell no. It is about speaking fees and selling books. Just my 2 cents.
I think Toastmasters ia probably great for people who want to get experience speaking or who have a fear of public speaking that they need to get over. I never had that problem or need, so I never worried about it, never had anything to do with them. I’ve heard mixed reviews of TM, but they seemed to be from folks with experience speaking. We all need to start somewhere, and I guess “What I Did Last Summer at the Beach” is as good a place as any for most.
I’m okay as long as that famous Introvert’s On Switch keeps working.