. . .does not mean I’m a writer.

It does mean I enjoy sharing my thoughts and my feelings, and similarly because I can speak certainly does not make me a speaker. In fact to be quite honest If I had any idea two years ago that becoming a writer and having the good fortune to publish my work would in turn ensue the underlying responsibility to now become a public speaker I would have chosen to stay silent and happy.

But enough of my silly quirks and unwarranted fears, I have done what many others have done, and what many others will continue to do, I have shared my thoughts and my feelings and now I must share myself with the world. In a good way of course, the world wants to know more about me, about BawB. Why the books? Why poetry? Where did it come from and where is it going? Not just the typical questions however, but also who is this BawB guy? Where did he come from? What makes him different?

Of course to convey this information, to answer the questions I need to talk, to people, lots of people in the same room… sighhhhhh… I need to read my own books. I need to believe in myself and reach inside for the confidence I tell everyone else to find inside them. Yes I am real and I do have the very same real issues as the rest of the world. When I am stressed I focus on why I should smile, when I am afraid I breathe in the fresh air of the moment to help me remember fear is a feeling of the moment not a way of life.

I attended an event at Shelf Life Books in Calgary, celebrating my recent award from http://www.indiebookawards.com. Along with three other local authors; Naomi K Lewis, Rona Altros and Patricia Klinck, we were all requested to speak. We needed to celebrate what we did and share our thoughts and feelings with the room full of people. What made me feel better in that moment was, I was not alone. In fact, a lot of people have trouble speaking in public. It is not something we are all comfortable with but it is something we can do if we believe in ourselves and feel the energy of the people in the room, because they came to hear us share our words.

Being a writer certainly doesn’t make me a speaker, but I will get better at speaking about what I can write.

WI:)ND

BawB