If this photograph from 1970 is any indication, I started enjoying being incognito at an early age. Although I suspect going out in public in that get-up would have attracted more attention than I would have been comfortable with. I also think it shows I have been comfortable being me from the beginning. While I am comfortable in my own skin, probably now more than at any other time in life (your forties are so liberating!) I am still uncomfortable in the limelight. So I find it rather ironic I have chosen two careers that force you to put yourself out there. My teaching career has me as an educator and entertainer with a class full of children who take in all I say and do. My writing career requires self-promotion to get published and to develop a following of readers. If I had my druthers, I would like to hang in the background, be a home or beach body. I would have folks discover my books by finding them at the library, like I have found so many of my favorite authors. I do enjoy the love and admiration I get from my students, it is reciprocal, By October of every year my students have become my own children and I dread the beginning of June when I have to let them go (Many stay in my heart forever). I am comfortable with the kids, it is parent night that gets my palms sweaty and stomach churning. The world of publishing has changed, a writer no longer can hide behind closed doors. For years I avoided Facebook or any social media. I would never have considered sharing my thoughts and ideas on a blog, I had only a few trusted friends and family members I let see the inner me. But last year when I recognized I could no longer avoid the siren call to pursue my writing seriously and in a committed fashion I was blessed to have a friend with experience offer to be my mentor (Kathy I am talking about you!) and she encouraged me to begin to brand and build my platform by blogging and getting on Facebook and Twitter. I have found Facebook to be a great way to reconnect and keep up with friends and let them in on what I am doing as a writer. I confess although I tweet out my blog link twice a week, I have not fully grasped the concept of twitter and all the hashtags. The most surprising thing to me is how much I enjoy putting my thoughts out in the world on this blog. I started out with a bit of fear I would have nothing to say or would struggle with ideas for posts, that has not been the case. whether my readers think I have something worthwhile to say, may be another matter. Sitting at home with my laptop and publishing a post is a bit like going out in the world en-scarfed with a pair of dark glasses compared to stepping up to a podium or a video camera. Yet, I still reveal a bit of my soul, connecting myself, my characters, my love of tradition and the South Carolina Lowcountry to the world beyond my door. I should also say thank you for the positive reception I have received. I find no disguise is needed here, and even outlandish get-ups are accepted as long a what is underneath is genuine and respectful.
I find your blog honest, and I’m a fan. So, thanks for putting yourself out there! Whether or not others are on board, those who see your writing for what it is, those are the one you want to stick around anyway. 🙂
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Thank you! I love to know a fellow author enjoys my ramblings.
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At the beginng of t,he school year you should include this photo along with your other unique female relatives
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