BITCHIN' INTERVIEW

When you write and dare to call yourself a writer, you sentence yourself to a life of solitude. You spend hours, days, months, years in your mind wrangling with finding the right words to express the chaos of thoughts in your mind. If you're like me and do your writing the old school way with paper and pen, you probably go through more pens in one year than most people do in a lifetime. And if you're, really lucky and happen to be in the right place at the right time saying the right things for that moment, your words are given birth through publication.

Once you "get published" it would seem that your job as a writer is over, and you can comfortably move on to the next project. The thing that you don't think about, though, is that publishing is an end and a beginning simultaneously. Sure, your words are now out there for everyone to read. However, you still have to find a way to get your words into people's hands. As most of us are not Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, or some other big name writer, we have to find a way to make the sales happen. This means, that even though you live life in your mind, you also have to life as a social person. You have to get out there and talk -- a lot.

I had the privilege recently to go on our local Fox Morning show to talk about Bitchin' Bodies. Being interviewed about your work is a sobering and exciting experience all at once. During all those late nights of struggling to get a sentence perfect, or as close to perfect as I could, I would occasionally dare to dream of being on television talking about my work. When it started to become clear that this dream might actually come true, I quickly sobered up and became scared. I talk all the time in workshops and in class, but doing a live interview is a whole different experience. I'll be honest with you and say that I had a few freak out moments. Ok, if I'm going to be honest, I'll let you know that I completely panicked!

I started asking myself how could I possibly simmer down the wealth of information I discuss in nearly 200 pages of text to two minutes (or even the six I was given) and a few quick sound bites? Thankfully, I work with a wonderful media representative on campus, Gwen O'Brien. Gwen patiently listened to my fears, helped me boil down my overall message, and prepped me more than I thought I could be prepped. When it came time for the actual interview I was fairly calm and heard Gwen's voice cheering me on.

In case you don't have a Gwen in your life, I want to pass on some helpful tips. The first thing you should do is figure out your key point or points. Try to write these things down in 100 words or less. Yes, this is difficult to do, but it's absolutely necessary. The next thing you should do is try to find one or two things that are sexy or will pique the interest of media interest. Think bullet points and catchy phrases. Even if you never do a television interview, having this information readily available will help you describe your project when asked. Most people who ask you this question don't want to hear a long, drawn out, rambling explanation. They want quick and memorable.

If you're going to do a television interview, live or taped, do a practice run -- on camera. It is absolutely necessary to learn where to look and how to handle yourself. For example, I tend to talk with my hands. If I don't remind myself, my hands will be flailing all over the place. In fact, if you watch my interview, you'll see that around the halfway mark, my gestures increase. You know why? I lost my train of thought at one point and started punting. And part of my punting was over-compensating with my hands.

Another thing that doing a practice tape will help you address is your physical presence, your look. In this day of super celebrity, good looking people are all over television. While you may not be a super model, you still need to think about your appearance. (Sad to say, but it's a fact.) In my first tape, I wore a shirt that looked great in person. On camera, it hung funny, made my boobs look even bigger than they already are, and completely washed me out. I also learned that for me, it's best if I wear something fitted in a solid color and with a collar. These may seem like trivial things to worry about, and your writerly sense may be screaming at you that you're above all this. You probably are. But think about it, do you want to get your message our there or do you want people staring at you and thinking, "What the hell was she thinking when she put on that shirt?" As much as I believe that what I look like is less important than what I say, I have to admit that for now my appearance matters for these things. I hate this fact and I want to rebel against it, but even more I want to get people talking about Bitchin' Bodies.

These are only the proverbial tip of the iceberg of important things for writers to know. Stay tuned for more, and remember you can always comment or e-mail me directly for more information. Don't forget to check out Bitchin' Bodies directly at StepSister Press. Also check out their blog for the latest news on Bitchin' Bodies and other upcoming projects from me and their ever growing list of writers and artists.

BITCHIN' & CRYIN'

Tonight's launch of Bitchin' Bodies was more than I ever dreamed. Have you ever heard the caution of being careful what you wish for because it just might come true? If not, let me just say ignore it. Dream. Dream big. Dream bigger than you think you can dream. And be ready to cry when your dreams come true in ways you didn't imagine.

Yes, I did shed a few tears tonight and in the days leading up to tonight. As women, strong bitchin' women, we think that we must hold back our tears. Crying is bad. Crying is a show of weakness. While many people may think this is all tears represent, tears are so much more. I will be completely honest and admit that I am one of those women who have an ambivalent relationship with crying, especially in public. As a strong, feminist activist I think that if I cry I am living up to all those stereotypes of women. But, crying is simply a physical demonstration of strong emotion. I have reluctantly embraced my desire, and my need, to shed a few tears -- even in public. Sometimes, especially when we are personally and emotionally involved in an issue, we feel that stinging at the back of our eyes, the pre-crying Oh Shit! moment. We push them back. Instead of feeling our emotions, expressing our passions, we silence ourselves. Why?

Even though Bitchin' Bodies has just today been "officially" launched, many of you pre-ordered copies and have had time to read it. (Thank you!) One of the surprising things I am hearing is how Bitchin' Bodies makes you cry. Not only does the book speak to you, but it's forcing you to admit those things that we'd rather not admit. I always knew in my gut that writing about the lived experience of body dissatisfaction would be a rewarding experience, but I have to admit that when I first started hearing stories of Bitchin' Bodies making women cry I paused. I questioned if, maybe, the book really was just another sad narrative in the string of sad narratives describing women's lives. However, I don't think that's why you're crying.

As we've talked, I've come to realize just how deeply we've pushed down our true feelings. When you read about other women who talk about the exact same experiences, there comes this moment when, no matter how hard you try, the walls come down. All those years of thinking you were the *only* woman who feels this way is stripped away. Then, the tears come, and that's ok. That means that you're finally being honest with yourself, as opposed to that game of honesty we play with ourselves. You know the game I'm talking about. The one where we push our real feelings down, and keep pushing them down, and adopt a mask of strength -- where strength is defined as not crying.

Here's the thing I want to leave you with. Embrace your crying. Own it. Be proud of it. Part of my bitchin' revolution is redefining what it means to be a woman. As a woman, sometimes crying is the thing that I not only want to do, but I need to do. And honestly, isn't it better to cry about something you believe in than one of those sappy Lifetime Movies. (which if you're really, honest, you'll admit that we call cry for.)

You may be asking, so Terri, why are you crying? The easy response is that I've been living the last few weeks on not enough hours of sleep. When I'm truly honest with myself, though, that's only a small part of the actual reason. I'm crying because you're crying. I'm crying because I know how difficult it is to be truly honest with yourself, your hardest critic. I'm crying, because as I continue to discuss these issues I hear more and more stories of body dissatisfaction. I'm crying because I want to be there with you and for you as you think about your body. And, I'm crying because there are so many people who have taken my little pet project under their wing and are making my dream more than I ever thought I could dream.

Keep crying, keep dreaming, and help me start a bitchin' revolution of what it means to be a woman.

BITCHIN' BELATED UPDATE

Mea Culpa on my extended absence. Life intervened, we bought a house, and the summer slipped away. The school year started off with a bang, and for the past several weeks I've been working 16 hour days trying to fit too many activities into too little time. The fantastic news is that throughout all this, Bitchin' Bodies the book has been working its way through the publication process and is now nearing its national launch! As you can see, she's lovely -- and even better in person.

Karin Lekan, an amazing artist working out of San Francisco, CA created the wonderful images that accompany the text, including the cover image. Her images add a fantastic depth to the text and theory I develop in the book. Empowering and powerful, they alone are worth the cost of the book. Each day I look at them and find new meanings in them. They speak in a way that you can't fully understand until you see them.

Annie Heckman, the genius artist, editor, publisher behind the scene has been fielding book orders large and small from around the country. We all had an inkling that Bitchin' Bodies could be a good book, but the early response has been phenomenal. You can order the book from the usual online outlets or even better, directly from StepSister Press. I recommend getting your order in early, as we're nearing the point of doing a second printing.

In other news, the national launch will be Thursday, September 25 at 7:00 pm. We'll be in the Student Center Lounge on Saint Mary's campus. I'll be there to read from and talk about the book. Even more exciting, there will be a special dance performance of "Because of Barbie and Other Dumb Broads." The dance was choreographed by Jaclyn Thompson and is based in part on our discussions of what it means to be a woman today living in a society that demands we have bitchin' bodies even while the possibility of ever achieving the ideal bitchin' body is, at best, a dream for most of us.

We have many more exciting things brewing. I'll be keeping you updated. For now, I'll be interviewed Thursday morning, September 25 at 8:00 am on our local Fox morning show. You can also find me on facebook.

I'll be writing more about the launch and the interview and everything else. We also have a new exciting, companion book in the works. I'll save the details for later, but know that the title is: Bitchin' Back. Thanks for all your ongoing support and get ready to start a bitchin' revolution in women's bodies.