Will I Come Out on Top or Flop by Gerri Brousseau

TGIF … and Happy Friday, readers.  For the next few weeks, I will be appearing on Friday rather than Saturday.  Today I want to tell you that I’m a bit nervous.  Tomorrow I am going to be at Connecticut Fiction Fest, which is a writer’s conference offered by the Connecticut Chapters of Romance Writers of America.  The key note speaker will be wonderful and there will also be about a dozen workshops to choose from.  So, why should that make me nervous?  I’m glad you asked.  Tomorrow I will be presenting my first workshop.  I will be standing before a group of writers who have paid to come to the convention.  I’m talking about something I do frequently and I’m comfortable with the subject matter.  I have written an outline and I’m satisfied with the content, but still I can’t help but wonder if I will come out on top, or be a flop.

I’m pretty lucky though because my dear friend and mentor will be standing in front of the group with me as we are doing this workshop together.  I think it’s nice not to have to go it alone on the first try.  For some reason, I’m not afraid to stand up in front of a group and talk, but I’m more nervous about what the group will think of what I have to say.  The dreaded Doubt Monster seems to have crept in … and I thought he only came around when I was writing!

So, tomorrow I’ll put a smile on my face and step in front of an audience and speak.  No, I’m not going to pretend they are sitting there naked (as some suggest you do to make you less nervous).  I’ll have to let you know how it all turns out.

My question today is, have you ever stood before an audience and given a presentation?  Where you nervous?  What did you do to remain calm?  How did it turn out?

Filed under: romance