I’m getting ready to walk out the door for an author visit to Garfield High School. The crazy thing is, I’m not all that nervous. Okay, maybe my stomach is churning a little, and I’ve changed my outfit three times in the past hour. But compared to the fear I used to have about speaking in public, this is nothing.

Becoming a published writer has forced me to learn a lot of things quickly. I had to go from zero to functional in technology 101 in a matter of months, and I’ve taken a crash course in being a shameless self-promoter. But the area I’ve made the biggest strides in is getting up and talking in front of an audience.

It’s odd to me that writers are expected to do so much public speaking, because most writers I know are incurable introverts. We like nothing better than to hide in our caves, surrounded by our own thoughts. But being published means getting yanked out of that cave, into the light, where we’re supposed to automatically transform into witty, charismatic extroverts.

At first the idea of doing book events made me break out in a sweat – all those eyes, focused on me! But I’ve discovered that a few of my writer’s tools are useful for making speaking engagements less stressful.

What if? Most writers are infinitely familiar with this powerful little question. And I’ve found that, not only can it take a story in interesting and unexpected directions, it can also help soothe nerves before I have to get up in front of an audience. What if I’m actually an expert on what I’m talking about? What if people are excited to hear me? What if they’re pulling for me to do a terrific job?

Create a character: We writers love to create characters. How about creating a character that loves to get up and speak? I think of this not as being fake or dishonest, but as finding my “inner extrovert” and letting her come out to play.

Shitty first drafts: We’re all familiar with writing shitty first drafts and then polishing them in revision. So why not consider your first attempts at public speaking first drafts that you can hone at subsequent events? After all, you’ve got to start somewhere!

Later…I just got back from speaking at the high school, and it was a blast. Once I got going, I didn’t feel the least bit nervous. All I had to do was remember why I was there – to share my love of reading and writing with the students and to get them excited about FLYAWAY – and the rest was easy.

Do you get nervous before you speak publicly? What do you do to calm your nerves?