2016 has been kind to me and I’m very grateful. I had the opportunity to experience a small slice of author life which turned into a wellspring of happiness for me. I met many lovely authors, librarians, booksellers, and readers that I’d never have had the pleasure to meet, but for publishing a novel. And the conferences were phenomenal. Hooray!

As a newbie author, the public speaking aspect was daunting…at first. But I’d like to share a few body language tips I found helpful in promoting confidence:

1. When all else fails, paste a small, calm smile on your face throughout the event. That smile will warm you up and in turn, warm the audience. The audience won’t always remember what you say, but they will remember how you made them feel (to paraphrase the great Maya Angelou). Practice the smile before wearing it in public to ensure it’s the look you want to share. Believe it or not, a simple smile may be just the confidence booster you need.

2. I have a bad habit of slumping in my seat. Do I want my body to display discomfort, insecurity, or unease? Do I want to look like I’m hoping to disappear into the woodwork? Absolutely…NOT. Remind yourself over and over to sit straight, chin parallel to the ground, stomach tucked in. This reeks of confidence. And don’t underestimate the power of eye contact. It communicates sincerity and engagement.

3. Maintain a positive attitude. Remind yourself of what a wonderful place you are in your life. I love looking out at the audience and reminding myself that I’m there because I’m a published author, a dream come true and an instant attitude lift.

4. Be nice to everyone that crosses your path. Kindness makes the world around us a better place and keeps us confident and happy. Do it in your own best interest and in the interest of others. Studies show that kindness begets kindness. A single kind act can spur dozens more.

5. Your tone of voice matters. Talk to your audience like you would to someone you care about. A dear aunt, a favorite pet, a good friend or anyone that brings out the best in you. I’m at my highest potential when I can speak passionately, but in a calm voice to someone I know or someone who exudes interest. Keep in mind that audience members typically want to be there, want to hear what you have to say and hope to go away having learned something of value that they can take and use in their own lives. Our job when speaking is to give them what they want and more.

When I start writing the draft of a book or an article, the laptop is my constant companion. My fingers scramble across the keyboard to move and arrange my thoughts along quickly. It allows me to jump back and forth between paragraphs and pages, and, once completed, makes it far easier to read than my chicken scribble. I can switch fonts and change page layouts galore. But once the draft is done, the pages are printed; the hard copy combed over with a pen. According to an article from The Guardian, reading from a hard copy may allow for better concentration, while taking longhand notes increases understanding and retention. Not to mention, reading longhand is easier on the eyes and brings this writer closer to the feel and smell of a beloved book. My soul is more easily poured onto the pages with a pen, the words charged with emotion. Taking the time to physically write (and yes, scribble counts as writing) forces the writer to stop and think, take note, and decide what works and what doesn’t. Notes can be made in margins and notebooks to be considered later. These notes become a road map, leading the writer to invent the best possible way of reaching a conclusion and seeing all the various creative stages.

For this same reason, I write thank you notes in longhand. They just wouldn’t have the same impact and meaning for me if the words are typed and sent in an email. I’m old school that way.

When I had the privilege of appearing on an author panel with the wonderful Anne Perry, she informed us that she writes the entire manuscript in long hand and has an assistant do the typing. That could explain the success behind her books.

All this doesn’t mean a writer should do away with electronics when it comes to completing the manuscript, but for me, it means, using a combination of the keyboard and handwriting to propel the story we want written forward.

I recently read that the best type of writing advice gives you guidance rather than specific actions to take. For instance, I was once advised to delete a particular character. This came from a beta reader (a non-professional reader who reads with an eye to helping improve the work; I didn’t know such readers existed before reaching authorhood).

I considered the advice…seriously. Took out the character and didn’t like it. Back in the character went. For those of you who’ve read my book, you know I like a lot of characters. I want everyone to be a suspect to make the challenge of solving the whodunit greater. But believe it or not, I got rid of and/or combined quite a few characters before the manuscript reached The End.

My best critic never tells me exactly what to do. She says a chapter doesn’t feel right, which makes me take a hard look at it again and again. Or she’ll bring up points I hadn’t considered like: have you thought about inserting a sub plot? Or she’ll tell me a character seems wrong somehow or not entirely likeable. My initial reaction is WHAT? My writing’s not perfect as it is? I have high expectations that what I write should work the first time around. If I was a boxer in a boxing ring, I’d expect to knock down the opponent in the first round. It doesn’t work that way.

This type of inexact advice allows the writer to dig deeper into the well of ideas and intuition to bring forth something better. More satisfying. When something works, well, if you’re a writer, you know what that feels like. Almost euphoric. No drug induced state can compete (not that I would know). But when it doesn’t work, there’s always that nagging feeling nipping at one’s heels. When I feel that nagging, my first reaction is to push it aside. But when I make the effort to revisit the scene or chapter and try, try again, well, let’s just say it equals eating a whole coconut cream cake by myself without feeling full…or sick.

All of this said, I want to thank my wonderful beta reader, who really is the superstar of all beta readers for me. She reads and re-reads without any prodding. And has just the right insight I need. I’m very grateful to have her in my life. She knows who she is.