PR

There comes a time in a writing person's life when promotion seems to take over from the writing. Somehow that seems wrong, but it happens. Or it is supposed to happen. I think you need a gift for it. PRing yourself and your work does not come easily. Not to me, anyway.

By its very nature, writing demands that the writer spends a lot of time communing with people who don't exist outside of the the author's head. A lot of time alone, usually, though some say they write in the living room with the tv on and the kids around.

Maybe this self-imposed retreat into silence, or for those who like music while they write, a retreat into a room where they are alone - is one reason why authors' conferences are such noisy affairs. I haven't been to more than three, but each one had mealtimes that almost took the roof off with the noise of people talking. So little time to talk before going back to the self-imposed solitude, perhaps? I'd always thought writers to be shy, introverted people. How wrong! I found myself surrounded by vibrant, self-confident people talking at a rate of knots.

Maybe the people who write thrillers are shy and retiring? Or the literary authors? But romantic authors? No way. Most of them are parents and writing while deep in family life and consequently with amusing stories to tell, and they tell them well, as you'd expect. Maybe such people happily promote themselves. I wish, I wish... I'll just have to pretend I'm vibrant and self-confident, and talk about me as if I'm talking about someone else.