Why Practice Makes You Better, if not Perfect

I don’t believe “perfect” is a trait anyone can rightly claim, but practice does make us better. Case in point, for me at least, are author events. I’m not just showing up to meet readers and sign books, but to stand in front of large groups to discuss my writing and publishing process and my journey as an author so far.

With practice comes confidence

I attend book signings or events where I speak about my writing process at least a few times a year and as my confidence grows, I find that each event is more enjoyable than the last. The sudden halt in these types of events during the pandemic and my most recent return to taking part in events has made me realize just how much I miss them. I enjoy meeting people who genuinely take pleasure in reading my books; again, it’s the surreal part of this process, the fact that others appreciate and enjoy the stories I come up with. With practice, I’ve learned to enjoy speaking about my writing journey and my stories, and I’ve gained more confidence each time I meet with a group.

Flashback to high school

My least favorite class was by far my most dreaded class, and that class would be: speech. I wasn’t alone. I can’t remember knowing even a handful of other students who actually enjoyed the class and what it required from us. It’s a necessary (evil) and useful class, I can now admit as an adult, but as a teen I was fairly shy when speaking in front of even a small number of people, so the class was pure torture. Part of it was due to my shyness, while the other part was due to the fact that the subject matters we had to speak about felt forced.

Fast forward to life as a private investigator

After high school and college and years in the legal field, I began working as a private investigator and was also a member of a state association for private investigators. I eventually moved up from member, to board member and eventually to president. During my year as president, I ran almost monthly meetings near Seattle and had to put aside my introvert tendencies in order to speak to the members in attendance and introduce special guest speakers we lined up for each meeting. While I still had issues with speaking to large groups, this process was a great learning tool for me.

Stepping stones in life prepare us for what’s to come

Now, I get to attend author events, I’m introduced as the guest speaker and I enjoy myself because I’m able to discuss a subject matter I’m extremely interested in and excited about. I’ve come full circle when I look back at my teenage self and how much I’ve grown when it comes to making speeches in front of large groups. I enjoy myself and I hope that my excitement about my stories and my writing journey give those who attend an enjoyable experience. I also try to learn from each event, so that I can make changes as needed to make the next event better, for myself and for those who attend.

I’m an introvert with a twist

My favorite part of author events goes beyond the preparation, the butterflies I still feel beforehand no matter how confident I think I am, the time I spend talking or the time I spend selling and signing books. As much as I’ll always be an extrovert-in-training because the introvert in me still wants to claim control, practice hasn’t made me perfect, but it has made me better. I’ve learned to enjoy the process because my reward is that I get to meet new people, find new readers who are willing to give my books a shot, and have a good time in general with like-minded individuals who love books with a passion like I do.

Take a look at some of my older posts, when I was first starting out and where I offer a few stories that will make you smile and even make you laugh. Whether I’m attending a book signing, an author event, a book club meeting, or a fair, there’s no end to the interesting people I get to meet.

Meeting interesting people is a key highlight on a long list of highlights when it comes to what’s wonderful about being a writer. It’s also one of the reasons why I can’t imagine doing anything else.

P.S. If you have a book club or other group meetings you would like me to attend to share my experience and journey as a self-published author, feel free to reach out to me!