Okay, so if you follow me on social, I am sure you may have noticed from my posts in various states of undress, be it poolside in my Speedos or sipping coffee in my briefs, that I don't generally appear to be shy or of a nervous disposition - probably a fair assumption, even my website makes a feature of me loving to sit and type away in my underpants!
Any such assumption would indeed be broadly accurate. At age 52, I am long enough in the tooth to be comfortable in my own skin and happy to show it. I am proud of my career achievements and even prouder of my relationships, how I have conducted myself over the years, and the family I have around me. It hasn't always been easy, life rarely is, but it's been worth it, and as the time-old cliche goes, I wouldn't change a thing! (Well, you know, maybe a couple of bits purely for salacious means.)
So what is it then that gets me running to the toilet with bowel-disrupting nerves, as depicted in my de-panted blog post picture? (Yes, that's me in my undies again!) The truth is, I get incredibly nervous when the time comes to share my books with the world, and I am currently going through this stress with my new novel, "Enigma: A Twisted Tale of Love and Magic".
When I am writing my books and the only critic is me - and I am self-critical - I have confidence in what I am doing. I think I craft a good story, and I tell it well. I would never claim to be a literary great, but I am a good storyteller and believe I craft original and unusual ideas. And then I have to publish them, and the doubt creeps in. Is it good enough? Am I good enough? What will people say? What if they don't like it?
Thankfully, people are generally kind with their feedback, and as long as something constructive is offered, I can even take the criticism. It isn't going to be for everyone after all. So, if you have read one of my books or think you might like to, I would encourage you to leave a review, and I will endeavour to learn from it just as soon as I've wiped and pulled my Aussiebums back up!
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