The Benefits of Reading Out loud

Last night was my writing groups' first annual Meet the Author's night in Dundas, Ontario. We had begun planning this in November. Everyone worked their socks off and I'm thrilled to say that we had a full house at the Dundas Little Theatre!

Getting ready to read from 'Six'

I was terrified, of course. Writing is a solitary profession, but the truth is that unless a writer is willing and able to share her work publicly, its unlikely she'll ever sell a book. I made a point of preparing... but not too much. I've found that if I over-prepare, I lose any freshness I might have (difficult, when you consider a novel can take years of writing and rewriting to get it right). I'm lucky in that I actually enjoy public speaking, and there's nothing better than hearing an audience laugh when you intended them too, or feeling them fall silent when you read an emotional piece.

I'm a newcomer to my community, but I made some new friends last night, and some new fans. For that, I am grateful. Thanks to my talented fellow writers, and my wonderful new home, I feel I'm settling in to the place I was always meant to be.