Show of hands: anyone here shy? Or are you too shy to raise your hand?
Yeah, I'm shy. I don't know if you can tell on the internet, because I am way more comfortable being anonymous with a seashell as a face. But most people who know me in person could tell you that I get very quiet in large groups (or even small groups, really.) It's not that I don't want to talk or that I'm not enjoying myself -- two misconceptions of shyness, I think -- but I'm a bit nervous and don't want to say anything stupid. Which is funny, because I say stupid things all the time. You'd think I'd just get used to it and roll with it.
One of the reasons why I love writing novels is that I can be somebody else. I can write from the perspective of somebody outgoing and bold. I can sit quietly and my blabbermouth character can do all the talking. As an unpublished author with no book to promote, I don't have to step out into the public eye yet. In a sense, I can hide.
But just as much as I enjoy writing about loud and fearless characters, I'm also drawn to reserved and insecure types. Ones that remind me of myself. I have 6 manuscripts, and half of them have extroverted main characters; the other half, introverted. Funny, you'd think the last thing a shy gal like myself would want to do is write a book about someone who gets easily embarrassed... and then put them into humiliating situations. (But I've done it.)
Are you more of a social butterfly or a shy guy? Are you drawn to fictional characters that are more like you or opposite of you? Writers, how do you think your personality affects the characters you write?
And for those of you who are published authors and shy -- how do you do it?
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