Friday, September 15, 2006

Lazy Friday

Yeah! It's Friday. And boy was it long in coming. I am tired this week. I don't know whether it was the travel or the allergies acting up (I LOATHE ragweed) but I feel like I've lived a hundred weeks in this one. So I'm super glad it's Friday. Of course, I have five billion things to do this weekend, but hey, maybe I'll actually sleep till 6:30am or something cool like that.

So next week I speak at my local RWA chapter (DARA). I'm doing my workshop on taxation for writers. I hope too many people don't drop off to sleep. The Internal Revenue Code tends to have that effect on people.

I was putting together my workshop papers this morning before work and got to thinking about doing workshops altogether. "They" tell you to put in your bid for workshops at local writer's groups, RWA National, etc because it's good exposure. My question is - what if you stink at public speaking?

There was a time when I said - absolutely not - I am not doing workshops. I don't have anything to say and if I got in front of a group of people, I wouldn't be able to say it anyway. Then of course, I took my new job as a corporate trainer and that excuse sort of flew out the window. :) I'd actually given up right after my sale and hopped on the workshop bandwagon - figuring at least I could talk about taxes. In fact, for my new job, I had to give a demonstration workshop of anything I choose and this tax workshop is what I did. I got the job, so I guess it isn't so bad.

Taxes are easy for me. The thought of teaching writing technique, however, scares me to death. Who am I to talk about technique and tell other people how to do things right? I only did it right once so far. That hardly makes me an expert.

So what do you teach at writer's groups? And if you don't teach yet, have you thought about what you want to teach?

4 comments:

Jaye Wells said...

I've actually been looking forward to this workshop. Taxes mystify me. I'm hoping it will clear up some things I've been nervous about--like knowing when to file quarterly, etc.

I think workshops would be fun to give. I've thought about them but I guess I'll see what occurs to me once I'm actually pubbed.

Anonymous said...

Er, I have nothing TO teach. :)

Colleen Gleason said...

I would love to teach. I love to get up in front of people and talk. I just don't know what a good topic that I feel I have the authority to speak on would be. (That was a manged sentence if there ever was one!)

Jana DeLeon said...

Hi Jaye - Hopefully the workshop will clear things up for you. If not, I guess I haven't done a very good job. :)

Tori - You will have something to teach eventually. Or apparently, you have to invent something.

Colleen - You love to get in front of people and talk??? I'm shocked. :) As for topics - what about creating new character ARC's for series H/h. You've had to do it with every book. And you did it wonderfully!

 
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