Now, if your work is good enough to stand on its own merits, the next question is whether or not you are a capable promoter of yourself. If you are not comfortable talking about your work, and get panic attacks before book signings, and clam up on camera, and whatnot, well maybe you would be better served staying silent and mysterious and letting people interpret your agoraphobia as “silent and mysterious”.

If you can talk about yourself and your work in a way that doesn’t make you sound like an asshat, than it’s probably a good idea to do it. Lesser authors than us have built solid careers out of self-promotion. Of course, remember that it only works if you can keep yourself from looking like an asshat.

Also, and this happens quite a lot, so please don’t feel like an asshat for it… My name’s actually “Joe”, not “Jim”. When I was looking at publishing my first book, I noticed there were already a couple very notable and prominent guys named “Joe McDermott” in the world. One is a children’s music performer in Austin. The other is a Senator from Washington. Thus, J M McDermott was born.

Why do find disappointment in the amount of thought that went into the work, Straka? If you could explain it easily, why would you need the art to do it for you?

Interesting article that reminds me of a question I’ve been pondering recently. In terms of themes, lief motifs and such, is it important for an author to talk about their work to the public? I remember during college in my photo class, I would critique someone and say “I liked this, and it reminds me of that…” Then when it came their time to speak I was very often disappointed by how much little thought when into their work.

So is it better to stay silent and mysterious? Or talk about your work in hopes of generating interest?

Farts can be musical, and dangerous. I once knew a guy – his first name was Kevin, but his last name eludes me – who could make his fart have the sonic properties of jazz music, with loops and twirls and all sorts of strange undertones and belltones. I admit, that I was impressed at the time. I was 13, and have not encountered a musician of the methane of his abilities since.

I also have heard countless stories about people badly burning themselves or their friends by trying to light fire to their farts. I suspect, farts can be quite dangerous.

Humor aside, I posted the original article I wrote that was deemed inappropriate for Fantasy Magazine at my regular blog. I would have posted it in conjunction, but I simply did not know when the article and story were going to be live on the site.

If you want to talk straight politics, try there.

http://jmmcdermott.blogspot.com/

You may well be the first writer I have seen compare their writing to farting surreptitiously.

Also, of note, is the original essay I wrote that was deemed incorrect for this publication.

I posted that essay to my blog:

http://jmmcdermott.blogspot.com/

Come by and ingest more of my hot, breezy prose.

Also, just a note to say that my original essay has gone live at 1:45 PM Central Time, and will probably be my only blog entry for the week.

Go to my website at http://jmmcdermott.blogspot.com/ if you would like the full gale force wind of my political opinions.