Be brave...

Further to my last post on wot I got out of the conference I want to add the following observation/advice (with reference to Tania Roxborogh's presentation on Presentation chaired by moi) - "Be Brave". This is a good mantra for the industry we are in. To send that submission in, be brave. To open that email/letter from the publisher, be brave. To get up and talk in front of a room full of strangers, whether they are adults or children, be brave. Whether it is fair or not that authors now must take more responsibility for their own marketing/publicity/promotion; as Vicki Allpress-Hill noted in her talk on The New Era at Spinning Tales, you are the best person to promote yourself. Who knows you better and will commit more to that task than you will yourself? Be brave, and as with the writing itself, the more you do it the better you get at it. We are not all born performers and some speakers make it seem effortless to have the crowd rolling in the aisles and eating out of the palm of their hands. But if you avoid author talks because you are not a born performer you are missing the opportunity to 'learn' how to be a performer. If you are not a 'natural' then you must find what you can do that does connect you with the audience and leaves them smiling at the end. All the talks I have done so far have taught me plenty of things that do and don't work. They have taught me how to recover if things go astray. They have taught me what I need to know before I begin. This was one of Tania's other gems. Be prepared. You need to not only know what your audience is wanting to know, how big the audience will be and what environment you will be meeting them in but also what tools of the trade you will need with you and what your own strengths and weaknesses are so you can plan how you personally will address their needs and interests. Be prepared, be brave! Like a triage nurse going on to the battlefield with a first aid kit, my box of tricks means I can adapt to just about all situations, no matter the size of crowd, the type of venue, or the range of equipment at my disposal. I have my laptop, my memory stick, (both with several powerpoint presentations loaded) my whiteboard pen, a range of stories for reading and a couple of drafts of several of my stories to show my process. I have a selection of writing tips and exercises on, and examples of, things like show not tell, tone and POV. And I am always listening out for other exercises and ideas I can incorporate for future talks and workshops. And because I have my fantastic box of tricks and always try and wear something quirky or humorous I feel ready to face my audience. They are my lucky charms, my dutch courage and my security blanket.