I appeared recently at my local library on their monthly "Author Night," where the writer talks about themselves and their books, gives a short reading, then takes questions. And hopefully, sells some books.
Two dozen people had registered for the event, a very good turnout for one of the smaller branches in the region. However, I walked in to find just eight people in the audience, including four kids, ranging from maybe 10-12 years old, dragged along (I assumed) by their parent due to a babysitting shortage.
So I had an audience of four, not twenty-four. Shrug. It happens. I started, as usual, by asking if anyone was also a writer or wanted to be one.
These events always have a handful of writers or wannabes. Problem is, most beginners are shy to admit it, so I usually have to coax them out. Once one hand goes up, more follow.
But this night, as soon as I asked the question, four hands shot up.
Want to guess who the four were? The four kids. So my assumption had been totally wrong. The kids were my audience.
An audience which was very interested in learning all they could about becoming a writer. I ended up not doing a reading so that they could keep asking questions. We talked about starting with short fiction, how to grab an editor's attention with your opening, where to send your stories, writing routines, and so much more.
It was a fun night where I hopefully helped some young writers chase their dream. I gave them all a copy of my writer's guide, Playing the Short Game: How to Market & Sell Short Fiction. And all the kids bought some of my fiction, an advantage of having their parents' credit cards in the room.
PS -- yes, that photo above is the Sunnydale High School Library from Buffy.
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