The private life of the writer

My family all seem to be performers. My mother was an actress, my sister trained as one, my brother's a pianist. But I think I'm temperamentally different. Although I studied 'cello for a while, I now realise that one of the things that stood in my way (apart from lacking sufficent talent!) is not liking to be the centre of attention. Which got me thinking.

Is this one of the reasons we write? Is it because, while being creative, we can stand back from what we do, and don't necessarily have to be around when it's meeting its public? One of our number has recently been upset by a rather nasty review, and I know we all sympathise with that. But at least that writer wasn't there when the criticism was made; didn't have to show their hurt and distress. I think perhaps many of us are quite private people. We scribble (or tap) away on our own, and send our offerings out into the world without having to go with them. We get news of them, and we rejoice (or not) over their progress, but we don't have to be there. We are that little bit removed (although it doesn't always feel like it).

I'm currently reading the latest novel by Andrea Levy - the Long Song (wonderful!). At the back, there's a Q&A section in which she says the worst part of being a writer is having to promote her work (although it was comforting to know that even a writer as successful as she is has to do it at all). Quite. I've yet to meet any writer who enjoys book signings. For me, they are the stuff of nightmares!