Coming Out of the Shell
Monday, March 27, 2006 at 09:27AM If you just know me from reading my blog, you'd probably never guess that I'm very much an introvert.
I've had people who've known me for years tell me that they don't recognize the person who writes this blog.
In grade school, I was the kid who wore the Cubs cap and rarely talked.
In high school, there was a bully who cruelly nicknamed me Mute. You can see why I didn't like high school much.
It wasn't until college that I began to start crawling out of my shell.
But chronic shyness is not something you overcome easily. It's something that I've battled my whole life and still fight today. It shapes who I am and some of the things I do.
Going to law school was anything but easy for me. In law school, you have to learn to speak up in front of your peers. You can't just hide in the back of the class. For me it meant three years of anxiety. Yet it was a hurdle I wanted to overcome and I did.
Writing is comfortable to me. Speaking is not. This is certainly not true of all writers but it's probably true of most. If you just write for yourself, that's not a problem. But if you write for public consumption, well, then you do indeed have a problem.
Since the release of Lost in the Ivy, I've done multiple radio interviews and made many public appearances. None of these have been easy for me. Yet I do them, not just because I want to sell a book but also because they force me to come further out of that shell.
Yes, there's always that sense of dread that comes with each of these experiences. But there's also that sense of accomplishment that follows them, and that is, for me, what makes them all worthwhile.
Randy Richardson
On Friday, April 7, you can see me stick my head out of that shell when I appear at WriterFest in Wheeling, Illinois, from noon to 4 p.m. I'll be one of a dozen participating authors representing various genres and answering questions about writing, getting published, marketing and other related issues. The event, organized by my friend Michelle Ailene True, a poet and fellow member of the Chicago Writers Association, will be held at Indian Trails Public Library District, 355 S. Schoenbeck Road. Refreshments will be served and there will be a free raffle for gift baskets. The event is free, but space is limited. To register, call (847) 459-4100. Hope to see you there!
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