On Becoming a “Speaker”

Up until a couple of years ago, when people would ask me what I did for a living,  I simply said, “I’m a mother.”

I loved those days. My kids were small. They needed me ALL the time and taking care of them filled my life. I also got to take care of my husband and my house as part of the deal. I was happy.

It took me a while to claim the title “writer,” instead of just “mother,” but it was an honest reflection of how I was spending my time. But owning the title of “writer” comes with it’s own set of challenges. When you are a “mother,” people know what you do. You cook, you clean, you carpool, you care for. When you are a “writer,” people inevitably want to know what you write.

Well, I write this and that and a little of the other. I write for the web and for print. I write for adults and for kids. I write for money and for free. I write for myself and for others and no, I don’t have a book yet.

But one of the problems with being a writer is that people have certain pre-conceived notions about what a ‘writer’ is like. Many people think that writers are introverted, quiet, bookish, or else a little bit crazy. I don’t think I am any of those things. Some people also believe that writers communicate on paper, because they can’t in person.

Let me assure you, I can. I can communicate in person. I love to communicate in person. In fact, I love to communicate to lots and lots of persons at one time.

Which is what brought me to speaking. After years of writing and getting up occasionally to share my ideas in person, more and more people said to me, “You’re a speaker, right?” And I thought, “No I’m a writer.”

But the truth is, I’m a storyteller.

I love to share stories with people. Whether I tell them to you in person or on paper, I hope to make you smile, or cry, or simply learn how to see things in a new way.

If you are interested in having me speak, or tell my stories in person, shoot me an email.

Alikirks@gmail.com