I am coming to a point in my writing career that I have been dreading. I am going to have to interact with the public. I am going to have to be sociable and nice.
“But Shannon,” everyone tells me, “you’re so even keel, so personable and you always have something interesting to say. Why are you so hard on yourself.”
The problem is that I can be outgoing and talkative with people I know, but the thought of talking to strangers terrifies me.
So far, I have volunteered to be on panels for two conventions this year, and I’m planning on volunteering for ICON in November. Despite what Jim C. Hines’ advice that he had never seen a bump in sales from attending a con, I don’t have sales yet, and I like cons (which is why Jim keeps doing them.)
Part of the problem is that I have trouble presenting myself as any sort of expert. Sure, I’ve run a writing group, I do paranormal investigations, I know a reasonable amount about computers, and I have a book coming out. But why would anyone want to listen to me? Sometimes I wonder if I suffer from Impostor Syndrome. Other times, I just feel like an impostor.