Public Speaking - a new career?

This past Saturday morning I spoke at a meeting of our local chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). And as usual, after all my stressing about it and worry that I would totally mess up, my talk went very well. I was “on stage” for forty-five minutes speaking about my writing background, local organizations that provide mental illness and suicide prevention help, how I used writing to get me through the grief of losing a son to suicide, and how I created my memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On from my journals, poetry manuscript, and writing workshop pieces. I also read two prose pieces and two poems from the book. I never thought I could hold forth for so long. In fact, when the program chairperson called to set up my presentation we decided to give the group a writing exercise if I didn’t have enough to say in the time I was allotted.

Although I had my cheat sheets in front of me and just needed to glance down on them from time to time to make sure I was keeping my place, I really talked off the cuff the entire time. Even at the outset when someone asked about Sandy Banks’ article about a suicide in the Los Angeles Times that morning, and the mother’s feeling of guilt afterward, I was ready. I had read the article and had cut it out to bring along. I commented on the article and how the subject related to me, and I passed the article around the room.

I ended up with many kudos from the powers that be in the AAUW group. One even said it was the most moving presentation they’ve ever had. What a great compliment. They also asked me to join the group.

So all the stressing was worth it. But I do need to look into why I go through this every time I need to speak in front of a group. It’s not that I’m new to public speaking. I spoke and taught classes many times while I worked full time, and even now I’ve presented many times about my book. And I was very prepared. I wrote out a script, I knew which prose parts and poems from the book I would read, and I brought along several things for show and tell. Even if I hadn’t remembered any of the points I wanted to make, I could have read the whole thing.

What I keep forgetting is that I’m an expert on my topic. I could talk for hours about it. After all I wrote a whole book about it.

By the way, we still went ahead with the writing exercise – it just cut our questions and answers time a little short. And, I was delighted that this group of women so readily participated and were so willing to share their writing with the group. Our topic was “your most devastating school experience.” Most of the women wrote about something that happened to them in Kindergarten. And since this was a group of senior women, the experience must have been very devastating if they still remembered it.

What would you write on that topic?

Midweek Work Progress Report

This week has been very productive.

I’ve sent off my second piece for the PsychAlive website, and I got word from the editor that it’s ready to go live. The piece is called “Comforting Those Who Grieve.” I’m still awaiting word from my Savvy Over 60 editor about when my November piece for them will be up.

I also started working on a piece for a new blog I’m interested in called, Heartache to Healing, founded by grief coach, author, and speaker, JoAnne Funch. Hopefully, the piece will be good enough that I’ll be allowed to contribute there once in a while as well.

And I started working on my speech that I’m scheduled to make on November 19 for our local chapter of the American Association of University Women. It was suggested I talk about the mental health and suicide prevention services available in our area. I’ll do that and expand the speech to tell my story of healing after my son’s suicide that I describe in my memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On.

And surprise, surprise, I got a chance to write a poem and work on my novel this morning. I plan to continue with my creative work for the rest of this week.

Then this Saturday I’ll be signing my books from ten in the morning until four in the afternoon at the Ventura County Book Fair at the Pleasant Valley Community Park Auditorium, 1605 Brunley Street in Camarillo – about an hour’s drive from my home in Manhattan Beach. I’ll also get a chance to do a ten-minute reading in the early afternoon. So, if you’re in the neighborhood, please stop by. I’ll be at Table 28.

Of course all of this takes place while I continue my everyday social networking work on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Book Blogs, my blogs on Choices and Red Room and prepare for my next blog tour in the spring. I’ve learned that there is no rest in a writer’s life.

And as my garden Buddha seems to say, it’s all good.

So how many more "acts" do I have left?

This has been a busy week. First thing Monday morning I received a note from my publisher, Lucky Press LLC, that it will submit my book to the ForeWord independent book award competition in January with awards are announced in June. That email definitely got my attention and my imagination percolating about what it must feel like to receive a book award.

Next I received a call from a member of our local American Association of University Women inviting me to speak at its November meeting on the subject of my memoir Leaving the Hall Light On. One of my former work colleagues suggested me. I’ll be expected to speak for about an hour, including time for questions and answers. And, needless to say I happily accepted. We discussed topics and settled on: 1) local help for mental illness and suicide prevention, and 2) how I used writing to help me survive after my son’s suicide. Of course writing or any other creative outlet can help assuage grief from any kind of trauma or loss.

I also had two blogs articles posted this week – besides my normal posts here. One is on:

PsychAlive

http://www.psychalive.org/2011/10/how-writing-helped-me-survive-my-son%E2%80%99s-suicide/

As PsychAlive says in its About statement: “Our desire to discover who we are – why we feel and act the ways we do – is what leads us to a meaningful and vital existence. PsychAlive was created to assist you in this personal journey by providing a place where people can learn to take an active, introspective approach to their lives.”

And my third post is now up on Naturally Savvy. I have my own blog there now called Savvy Over 60

http://www.naturallysavvy.com/savvy-over-60

I’ll post at both of these sites at least once a month.

Never in a million years would I have dreamed I’d be a web journalist at this stage in my life. This work is so fulfilling and fun. It’s as my friend Elizabeth says about me: “she proves that we can have as many acts as we want in life.”