Putting Yourself Out There

Image by 정훈 김 from Pixabay

 
As a writer, I am always looking for ways to get myself and my work out to potential readers. Doing things online can be beneficial, but getting out and meeting people face to face can also be beneficial.

However, this process isn’t always easy, especially because I have anxiety and depression. Some days I’m scared to death and imagine that others will think I’m a fraud or ridiculous or have nothing of value to say. Other days, I’m too tired to even try.

The first year after we moved to Nebraska, both anxiety and depression had a huge impact on me. It was hard to do much of anything, let alone get out and interact with people. Seriously, I couldn’t even write without having a panic attack, so attending conferences or conventions wasn’t even an option.

I slowly got back into going to conventions, and the first one I participated in was O! Con in Omaha. After being there, I realized how much I missed that environment and mingling with people. I decided I needed to get back on the horse.

This year has been my year. So far, I’ve been to Crypticon in Seattle and O! Con in Omaha. Both were so much fun. I hope I get to go back next year. I’m already brainstorming some new panels/discussions!

In addition, I get to participate in the Wyoming Author Day in Torrington in August. I will also be going to the MAPACA conference in Philly. This one is much more research and literary based, but it’s still a lot of fun. The last time I was there was several years ago. This year’s theme is zombies, and Philly is where George Romero started, so you know I had to go.

I also have a library presentation set up for October, as well as participating in a state conference. I can’t tell you how excited I am! All of these are going to be so much fun, and I get to hang out with people who have the same interests I do!

If you’ve never been to a conference or a convention, I highly recommend checking one out. You don’t have to dive right in and start doing presentations or workshops (although you can if you want). Being a face in the crowd and attending panels or oohing and aahing over celebrities can be a lot of fun too.

In case you were wondering, there is a difference between a convention and a conference. While both can be educational, a conference is usually geared more toward research and people sharing their work. A convention is when people dress up as their favorite characters and meet famous people.

Both can be a great way to mingle and meet some amazing people, and both have the opportunity to learn new things—they just do it in very different ways.

Now, please don’t think that going to conferences and conventions has cured me of my ailments. They haven’t. I still get incredibly anxious before going “on stage” at these things. Being nervous is to be expected, but having anxiety means I go from being okay to thinking the world is going to end in about 1/10 of a second.

They can be incredibly exhausting, which can lead to depression and feeling like no one is listening to what I have to say or they don’t really care.

However, they do help in breaking me out of my shell. They allow me to feel like I have a place and a voice in this world. It may only be for a weekend, but sometimes that’s all I need. It’s really nice to get out and do something I enjoy. I will never be fully free of anxiety and depression, but conventions and conferences help me find new ways to cope and get me outside of my head.

Still Looking for Me...

Life has been a struggle lately. It hasn’t been as bad as it was a year ago. I haven’t been fighting off panic attacks and losing a ton of weight to depression. But I have been incredibly overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted. That makes it challenging to do life the way it’s supposed to be done.

You may or may not have noticed that I’ve been away. I try to pop in when I can, but I’m really focusing on taking care of me right now. I have been doing a little bit of writing, so that’s been good. I enjoy being able to take the time to go into my fictional worlds and create things.

Other than that, I’ve just been taking things easy and resting when I can. I’ve also been doing a lot of soul searching and looking at my life. I’m thinking about making some changes, but I’m not really sure how to go about them.

While things change and I find my energy again, don’t forget that over the weekend I will be in Seattle for Crypticon. I’m really looking forward to that. It’s going to be a lot of fun! There’s nothing better than geeking out with others and talking horror. Maybe it will be just what I need to feel like myself again.

The Fun Side of Author Marketing

I’ve established in some past blog posts that marketing isn’t always fun, but it’s a necessary evil. It can be time consuming and frustrating. It can cost a lot of money. But there are some aspects of marketing as an author that are a lot of fun.

I’d forgotten about the fun side of marketing until recently. With the move to Nebraska and trying to get my feet under me, I’ve been neglecting some of my marketing. Things are changing now, however, and the future looks bright.

So what is this fun marketing I’m talking about? It’s getting myself out there. It’s talking about my books and giving presentations. It’s being involved with author events and conventions.

Sure, for some the thought of speaking to a crowd is the scariest thing in the world. I won’t lie: I get nervous before I stand up to do a workshop or presentation, but once I get into my groove, my nerves fade away. There’s something magical about getting an audience talking and involved with my presentation. It’s so much fun to hear how they would survive zombies or what their favorite horror movie is.

Every so often, I do online presentations for elementary students, and those are a lot of fun too. Kids get so excited to talk about books and what they are working on in school. I love asking them questions and hearing their answers. They can be so funny!

I’d forgotten how enjoyable it is to get out and mingle with people who are like-minded. My focus has been inward lately, so it’s nice to get out. Hanging out and doing presentations and workshops is inspiring and re-energizing—something I really needed!

Talking Zombies and Networking with Authors

I love going to conferences and conventions. They are just the best. More often than not, I am inspired to write and I meet some really amazing people—both fans and other authors. That was true of the WyoCon convention I attended over the weekend.

It was just a small con at the White Mountain Library in Rock Springs, but it was a lot of fun. I did my Surviving Zombies workshop, and it’s always a blast to get the audience involved and to listen to their plans when the dead arise. I love that people take the time to think about how they are going to survive the apocalypse. It’s important to be prepared.

After my presentation, I sat at my table for the rest of the day. There were several participants who ventured by, and I spoke with many of them on a variety of topics, from reading to movies to other conventions. I also had the opportunity to chat with the other authors around me. They were such amazing people.

Going to conferences and conventions feeds my soul. They can be incredibly exhausting, but seeing other fanatics reminds me of why I write. I might not always sell a ton of books (I sold two at the last one and consider that a win), but I get to meet some really cool people. Like I said, it’s inspiring going to these things.

Things have been pretty bleak in the writing world lately—and not necessarily just my own. I’ve read numerous articles about how readers aren’t buying books like they used to and that Amazon is trying to monopolize the entire system and authors are going to be the ones who suffer.

Really, it’s nothing new, but it’s still something that plagues authors—and not just us indies/self-pubs. Everyone is feeling the pinch. There are those who blame it on self-publishing and how easy it is to publish a book nowadays—flooding the market with millions of books instead of thousands—but that’s not the only reason. The publishing industry has changed, and we’re all trying to figure out how to keep up with it. In the process, we see our earnings shrink and less and less books get sold.

It can be incredibly depressing. It can make us question why we are even wasting our time.

I get it. I really do. I’ve been down that road. But at the same time, I still really enjoy telling stories. I love seeing people read my books and review them—even if it’s just a small percentage. And I love going to conferences and talking to people about other books and nerdy pop culture things.

At the end of the day, it’s all about perspective. It’s deciding what you want to take from an experience and deciding if it was good or bad. Personally, I spend the vast majority of my life being cynical and a little crabby, but it’s nice to take a break and immerse myself in my writing and other geeky ventures. Sure, I might not make a lot of money doing it, but it makes me happy, and that is the most important part.