September 2, 2019
Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
I don’t know if my ego is big enough to answer this week’s question!
Here’s the deal: A writer has to have a bit of an ego to think they can take words and and mold them into a story that others will enjoy while, at the same time, doing justice to their characters. But that ego has to be small enough to allow the characters to tell you their story the way they want to. It’s a constant balancing act
Take my book Wolves’ Knight as an example. I’d planned out a romance subplot for Tasha, my main character, and even started writing the scene where she and the planned romantic lead got hot and heavy with each other. And promptly got stuck, because she started fighting me. She had a different idea about how things should go. I had to set my ego aside and swap up the plot to satisfy her.
A similar thing happened with The Baron’s Cufflinks. I’d written what I thought was a great chase scene, but something didn’t sit right. The action was great, the words were fine, but it just didn’t work. Then Harmony, my main character, convinced me it was because I’d told it all wrong. That wasn’t the way it happened. I put aside my ego, scrapped the scene, and rewrote it the way she wanted. I have to admit, it was better her way, but I still liked mine! It involved the sheriff and the highway patrol, a bad guy or three, and Harmony throwing her shoes at one of them. Thankfully, I was able to use pieces of it in the revised version.
On the other side, you have to have a healthy dose of ego to get out in the public and sell books once you have them written. To engage total strangers in a public setting and ask them to buy a book isn’t easy at first. I’ve gotten better at it, but I still have to psych myself up for each public appearance. There’s always the fear that no one will want to talk to you. Even on social media you need to interact with people you’ve never met.
(If you want to check out my books, you can start from my front page, here: http://www.pjmaclayne.com )
I hope you’ll take a moment to check out the other authors on the hop and see how their egos hold up to writing. You can follow the links below. But before you go, feel free to leave a comment.
September 2, 2019
Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
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I always dread engaging with readers at signing events, but hopefully the one I’m taking part in on Saturday will be a little easier to bear than the previous two!
Prepare your topics- what you want to talk to them about. Ask them about what they like to read. Prepare to make general conversation before you hit them up to buy a book. (That’s the part I’m bad at!)
Me too. I hate making small talk. I can do it, but to me it’s a waste of time.
Because how many times in one day can you talk about the weather? At least at a con, you can compliment their costume if they have one.
I’ll find something to talk about on Saturday through gritted teeth!
I’m shy; so I invented a pen name. Turns out he’s shy too!!!
Imagine that! 🙂
I wouldn’t say I’m shy, but I don’t just walk up to strangers and start talking to them — except I was hired as a receptionist for a company a long time ago and I ended up as a salesperson for them because the guy who normally did the job was in an accident and had to take several months off work. So, I have all these skills I learned from that job, skills on how to walk up to people and just start talking to them even when you really don’t enjoy doing it. I wish it came naturally. It doesn’t.
I don’t walk up to people when I’m at events- but I smile, say hello, and look them in the eye (if they play along.) If they don’t want to engage, I don’t take it personally. And I’m almost always standing when I’m behind my table. At one small event I’ve done a couple of years, the organizer considers me her official greater!
My husband Brad has a natural salesman’s personality. He can grab someone’s eye at a trade show and draw them to our booth. Sometimes they’re interested in his invention and he’s on point for that, but if they’re interested in books, I step up and do my part. (Truth to tell, if they’re interested in his invention, I step up then too, because that’s how I learned to do sales – set aside my natural personality to make a sale).
I love a writer who let’s their characters be in charge. I do it and find the story becomes fuller than if I would have controlled them As far as events, I used to be a comedian. I find it hard to not talk to everybody.
My sense of humor runs to the dry side. Most people don’t find it funny.