Preparations

I’ve been thinking about my reading on Sunday a lot this past week. I suppose that’s only natural. I’d like to make sure that the excerpt I read is interesting and  since there are shifts back and forth in the story, I didn’t want to  confuse the listener, either. I’d sort of like to read the third chapter but I find it a bit emotional and so I decided to stick with something safer.

I’m to tell a little bit about the book, set up for the excerpt and then read for 10-15 minutes. They’ve allowed time for Q&A afterward. I opted for the minimum time, since this is my first time at such an event.

I had an email from another first time author who will also be reading and she tells me she hasn’t put a whole lot of thought into it. Although I have read my work in public on a few occasions to small crowds, this will be her first time. Is this a fool hearty move on her part? For a fleeting moment I thought, it sure is.

I like to be prepared. I need to be prepared. But when I stop and think about it all my preparation, all my fretting over which chapters to read (since they are short chapters I will need to read two) isn’t going to change anything the moment I start reading on Sunday. I’ll either mess up or I won’t. This other author will likely choose her excerpt and read it over a few times the night before. Likely when it all comes down to it no one’s even going to know the difference. I mean, how many times can you read something over? Even reading it over in practice you can stumble a time or two and even if you don’t stumble while practicing that doesn’t insure you won’t when you’re reading it for real . And is it even that big a deal if you do stumble? Heck I never signed up to be perfect.

I know I never seem to mind if I’m listening to someone else and they falter. In fact, I go away without thinking about it at all. Is anyone even going to care or remember once all is said and done? I’m not under any illusions here. I’m pretty small potatoes when it comes to some of the other seasoned authors who will be reading that day. I’m reading right after Vicki Grant…an award winning author. It might have been nice had they lumped all of us first timers together but for some reason the organizers at WOTS didn’t bother to ask my opinion. Go figure!

So I’ve prepared as much as I can. I’ll wait until Saturday evening and go over it a few times. I’ll arrive early at WOTS, hopefully meet some authors whose work I admire, perhaps buy some books. My son will snap some pictures of me smiling my face off. When 1:00 comes and someone from WOTS introduces me I’ll step forward and do my thing. Will I be nervous? You bet!! But likely there will be others who are feeling the same way.  It’s all for the sake of my book and putting it out there so I guess you do what you have to do. There’s no turning back now. Hopefully, someone will be interested in my book and when it arrives on the bookshelves they’ll buy it. Wish me luck, people. What have I got to loose?

Posted by Laura Best on September 23, 2009

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