Comments on: We’re not always what we seem

By: Katie

Katie — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 18:39:29 +0000

Malia,

I can totally relate to working in a television newsroom. The attached cubicle, 24-hour news cycle has a way of breaking down inhibitions and drawing out even the shyest person. I went from having a hard time expressing myself in editorial meetings to being able to interview and be interviewed on live t.v. I’ve even been able to speak in front of large groups of people, with enough preparation anything is possible. I still geek out before every television or speaking event. Much prefer writing.

By: D.C. Dacosta

D.C. Dacosta — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 15:01:36 +0000

You asked, “how that comes into play in your professional lives?”

I think a writer of fiction MUST be able to act as you describe: not so much to have two personalities himself, as to be able to imagine, project, and communicate a personality for each of his characters.

I’m shy. But my protagonist is a back-slapping, sarcastic, pushy jet-setter. Or maybe he’s a self-important, misogynistic jerk. Or a brassy, lying heart-breaker.

I MUST be able to get inside the character’s skin and see the world as he does…or all my stories are going to be about ME. And that wouldn’t be half as much fun.

By: Malia Kline

Malia Kline — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 14:54:48 +0000

I too was a shy eye-averter from childhood through my first job as a writer at a radio station. I spent my workdays pretty much alone, cranking out copy in my six-by-six office with a door that kept the world at arm’s length. Whenever I had to venture out and deliver my work to the studio, I remember staring intently at the script in my hands, sometimes even holding a stopwatch and reading it to myself as I walked, all to avoid having to greet people who passed me in the hall. The turning point for me came when I got a job as a television writer and producer. Production was a total group process, so I had to poke my way out of my shell and burst into gregarious and collaborative world. Today I am a chameleon, morphing from my neutral color as an innate introvert when I’m writing to become a magenta extrovert wanna-be when I’m not.

By: Katie

Katie — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 20:32:00 +0000

I finally realized just how introverted I am recently, and admitted this publicly. It comes as a surprise for many, but though in public I’m able to focus on others, I do tend to look for one person to hone in on in the corner. When it’s time to act like a butterfly, I have to force my wings to open. I find people really interesting and I like hearing their stories. From this persepctive, I’ve been good with people in business. Admittedly though, I don’t seek out occasions to be in large groups, unless of course, I prepare myself for such an occasion.

By: Dave Sosnowski

Dave Sosnowski — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 20:00:20 +0000

I, too, tend to be fairly shy in my personal life, although I interact fearlessly with the public as part of my day job. I think the difference has to do with the degree to which the social roles are defined and mutually understood. In my day job, I’m the expert eople come to for answers in my area of expertise. I understand that and they understand that and we play our respective roles. Similarly, when I was a teacher, I had no trouble talking in front of a room full of students, in part because our roles were clearly defined (and mine was the one with the power). At the same time, I tended to stress a great deal when getting up to read before an audience at the very same university, because where I could judge and fail my students, at a reading, I was the one being judged. In my personal life, it’s much closer to being a reader in front of an audience — the roles are blurrier and there’s always this subtext of being judged. And so at parties, I seek out those friends least likely to judge me (at least not to my face) and hold on tight.