Comments on: When Your Why is Bigger than Your Fear

By: Lisa_Brouwer

Lisa_Brouwer — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 20:13:00 +0000

Hey Laura ~ I was at the MasterTreat and it was inspirational to me to watch you work your way through your fear AND the menu. I could see your confidence increase as Lex coached you through each line… she offered a new perspective on how you were reading something as simple as the fried chicken dinner. When it came time for you to share your WHY, you used your full voice which made me love where you took us as you explained the impact you wanted to make on the world! It was much more real and authentic when you worked through the scary part and could share your message from a place of power and confidence! Way to go, girl!

By: Jason Bougger

Jason Bougger — Sun, 04 Jun 2017 01:46:00 +0000

In reply to Laura Highcove. Thanks!

By: Laura Highcove

Laura Highcove — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 10:38:00 +0000

In reply to Sara Letourneau. Thanks Sara! The biggest thing really does seem to be getting out there and doing it. It can be scary, but somehow it usually turns out okay.

By: Laura Highcove

Laura Highcove — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 10:37:00 +0000

In reply to Jason Bougger. I still get the jitters when I think about reading my work out loud. It sounds like you hit the ground running with all those events in a row, and you're still standing, so it must have gone well. Congratulations.

By: Sara Letourneau

Sara Letourneau — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 20:03:00 +0000

Wow. Great job on the post and at the retreat, Laura. Like Jason, I can relate to your fear / anxiety of public speaking. The first time I had to confront that fear was in college. During my final semester, I had to do a presentation on my Honors thesis paper. Not necessarily for a big audience, but the mere thought of it terrified me. The only way I knew I was going to work through that terror was by taking a public speaking course that same semester – and it helped tremendously.

I still have echoes of that fear when I face similar situations now. Readings, the DIY MFA podcast interview I did with Gabriela a couple years ago, and even asking questions at events – they might still cause some apprehension, but every time I do it, I feel a little more confident in myself. It sounds like the MasterTreat did just that for you, and I hope it gives you both focus and courage for when you’re ready to pitch your novel. 🙂

By: Jason Bougger

Jason Bougger — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 18:45:00 +0000

I can relate. The thought of public speaking can be frightening. The best thing to do is practice. Record yourself numerous times so that you feel more comfortable in front of the camera and then look for some of the things you can improve on.

I’ve also been against doing public readings just because I don’t think I read well out loud.

In April/May I had my first solo author talk (and spoke for over an hour!), a public reading, and was on some panels at a local sci-fi convention. These were on three consecutive weekends, so I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare, but I definitely got to face all of the fears at once.