Writers tend to be introverts and often thrive in creative solitude. However, publishing is a business requiring direct human contact. And in business, extroverts are the dominant life-form.
Gone are the days when writers can live the life of a J.D. Salinger, venturing outside only to buy groceries and get their royalty checks out of the mailbox. To get published and promote their books, writers need to be more like extroverts, or at least act like them.
The PNWA conference organizers recognized this dilemma and held a workshop to discuss extrovert tactics for a room full of introvert attendees.
I'd love to tell you about this workshop, but--I didn't attend.
Not because I was too shy to go. Instead, my popular fiction classmates and I had dinner reservations at the time this workshop was being held. Even though I enjoyed a night out with my friends, I wanted to attend this seminar, especially since it was hosted by these two dynamic women:
Lorraine Wilde is a freelance journalist and environmental scientist with numerous articles to her credit. Even though I didn't make the class, Lorraine posted the slide show and handout on her blog, under the "Introverts" tab. (I'll read them as soon as I complete this post). She is currently working on her memoir, Egg Mama: An Egg Donor and Her Extraordinary Family.
Kim Kircher is the author of the upcoming book, The Next Fifteen Minutes: Strength from the Top of the Mountain. (Fortunately for us conference attendees, advance copies were available).
I've been acquainted with Kim through a mutual friend and PNWA for the past three years. My writer friends come in two flavors: Unpublished and published. In the time I've known Kim, she's the first one among us unpublished-types to step into the published winner's circle.
For you extrovert, skier-types: Kim and her husband manage Crystal Mountain.
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