A couple of weeks ago, this was my
horoscope:
An
extroverted introvert is a person who is proactively outgoing to avoid being
rude though they prefer plenty of time to themselves to recharge and enjoy the
hours however they please. Can you relate?
First of all, how is that a horoscope?
That’s just a statement, thrown willy-nilly out into the universe.
But second of all, of course I can relate. I didn’t know that there was such a thing as
an extroverted introvert until a few years ago, but as soon as I found out
about this personality classification, I nodded. That’s me, all right.
And it’s confusing, I know. I started out
life as a total so-shy-I-wouldn’t-speak introvert. I became sociable and
outgoing in my adolescence, an extroverted introvert (though I didn’t know it),
through sheer will power and doggedness. So I know it’s possible to turn from
wallflower to witty life-of-the-party. And now maybe you’re wondering so what?
Who cares about extroverted introverts?
Well, perhaps you do, if you’re a writer.
It’s no surprise that many writers lean
toward the introverted side of the personality scale. We tend to love
introspection and prefer living in our imaginations rather than the real world.
Just about every writer I know will admit to thinking up stories while fixing
dinner or changing babies or driving to work…um, maybe we shouldn’t admit to
that one.
The point is, writers live an interior
life. Or would prefer to, if we didn’t have the outside world banging down our
doors. And that can be a problem for a writer. Because these days, we have to
regularly and purposefully go out those doors and engage with the world if we
want to be successful in our writing careers.
This week, I participated in a Twitter
party to launch the Chicken Soup for the
Soul Miracles and More, and I
really, really didn’t want to jump
in. Wasn’t it enough that I posted the announcement on my Facebook page and
blogged about it?
It was probably better than doing nothing.
But I did realize the importance of
spreading the word about a new release as far as the Chicken Soup publisher’s business goes, and I knew that if I jumped
in, I might gain a couple of new readers and/or followers. So I put on my
extroverted pants and waded in.
And I had a lot of fun. That’s the thing
about us extroverted introverts. Once we get into the swing of things, we
thoroughly enjoy ourselves! Or at least,
I do. What starts out at a conference or a workshop or a party as me going
so as not to appear rude ends up as something entirely different.
Turns out that in small doses, I like
meeting people! I make new friends, and I invariably help my writing business,
too. So here’s my advice to introverted introvert writers: follow the “Just for
today” philosophy.
You know, like, “Just for today, I’ll go
to this conference and I’ll do a little schmoozing.” Or “Just for this evening,
I’ll mingle at this party with agents and editors.” Or even, “Just for this
hour, I’ll talk to someone I don’t know.”
You can become an extroverted introvert, and you can even enjoy it! And
best of all, after that conference, that workshop, that Twitter party, you can fall into your over-stuffed chair with a
good book and a cup of tea and not speak to anyone for hours.
(Or maybe that’s just me. You do your own recharge thing, friends. You do you.)
Cathy C. Hall is a kidlit author and humor writer and extroverted introvert. See her latest story in Chicken Soup for the Soul's Miracles and More, "God of the Little Things." And if you have interesting stories, go check out the Chicken Soup topics for this year. Maybe she'll see you at the next Twitter par-tay! (Or come visit Cathy at her blog where she's sorta the life of the party every day.)
