A little while ago, Michael D’Agostino, of A Life Examined, brought up the idea of a new blog hop called Question of the Month. He thinks blog readers would like to know a little more about us, the bloggers. So we’re all gathering to show you guys who we are by taking part in the Question of the Month blog hop. On the first Monday of each month, we answer the question that gets posted here.
This month’s question is: “Are you an introvert or an extrovert?”
Once you enter the world of writing and become part of the writing community at any level, this question will pop up periodically. It’s always been pretty clear that I’m an introvert though I’ve always told people that I’m mildly introverted. For me, I have always felt that being around lots of people to be uncomfortable in varying degrees. When I’m around my huge family, the familiarity helps ground me and I can bear the closeness for a longer periods than I could with strangers. I do much better with smaller crowds and in some cases have even learned to blend into the middle instead of the background.
I don’t have a problem speaking to large groups of people in a controlled environment, as long as they are over there and I’m up front, I don’t become overwhelmed. Book signings are difficult for me, but I’ve learned to use my husband and sister as anchors. As long as one of them or another trusted family member or friend is nearby, I can do it. I can’t go to a mall a peak times and hardly ever go to Walmart; there are no non-peak times at Walmart. I can’t do concerts and usually sit and rock back and forth at sporting events, which again if surrounded by family isn’t too bad. I feel like they shield me.
After years of telling people that I’m mildly introverted, I came across an article on the “A Cup of Jo” blog that got me wondering. I read through it carefully and followed along. Turns out, I was right. I was hoping I’d end up being this new term “ambivert”, but no. I’m still a mild introvert or an introvert with one or two extrovert tendencies. At my core, I’m perfectly content to sit at home alone. I don’t feel left out or feel like I’m missing anything. After reading the article, I posted it to Pinterest with my results and it has proven to be one of my most popular pins… Dang, how I wish I could take credit for it. 😉
The first mini tour in my It’s Like the Full Moon, pre-order extravaganza starts today and the kick-off has already been posted over at the Author Promo Co-op blog. Please check it out if you have the time. 
I’m trying to start a new bookish blog hop for anyone who might be interested. Last month was our first post and we all had a great time. It’s a great way to sample books and get an opinion on them without scouring their list of reviews. Please check out the BooktagsBlogHop.
Please visit the other participants on this hop and even join in if you’d like.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
19 replies on “#Question of the Month: a #bloghop to think about. No. 6- Are you an introvert or an extrovert?”
I can force my introverted nature aside for concerts. But agree about malls. As for WalMart, there are non-peak times, but the people are twice as scary at night.
Scary trumps quantity any day, I’m staying away.
I’m an introvert too, but I don’t avoid crowded stores because of it. I just find it takes too long to get around and through the check-out at peak times. I do avoid making phone calls like nobody’s business, which is ridiculous, but there you go.
I can do phone calls and have grown to appreciate texting, no face to face, but sometimes I get stuck in a text chain and I want to hide from my phone… I get it.
I can relate to what you’ve described about yourself. Extroversion takes practice and application. It’s like exercising to stay fit or mastering an art. We become better at extroverting ourselves (I don’t think that’s a real word, but it works for me) if we get out and mingle and socialize. That’s not always easy though. Not when I could just stay at home and watch a movie or something.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
I make efforts to be around people and find that 50% of the time it’s not as bad as I aspect, 25% of the it’s worse than I expect and end up having an anxiety attack, and the other 25% it’s uncomfortable but bearable.
It’s good that you don’t have a problem speaking in front of large groups. I unfortunately can’t. 🙁 That’s why I like blogging…I can speak large groups without being physically in front of them. 🙂
It’s different for everyone, but for me being in front of the crowd puts me in control and if I decide to leave, I go one way and the crowd goes another.
Good to have a few qualities of each indeed. I avoid stores at peak times because it is a pain in the butt.
Yeah, sometimes it’s that too, but mostly I can’t take the crowds.
One of the benefits of writing full time is that I can go to stores during off peak hours. I seldom go to Walmart but if I do, 7 am is a good hour. I think nearly every writer is a bit introverted or how would we get writing done.
Susan Says
I agree. I think I replied to someone else’s post that I don’t know how extroverts make it as writers, but I’m sure they do.
I could be around my extended family forever. That’s never a problem for me.
As much as I love my family, I can’t say the same. At this summer’s family reunion, I had a small anxiety attack. There are just so many of them and they can be so loud. I love them, but I can’t always take them… I know it’s totally not them, it’s me. It’s those moments that make it hard.
The more familiar I am with the people I’m around, the more comfortable I feel, and my good friends sometimes act as shields for me at public functions 🙂 I still have a hard time with public speaking, but I can get it over with if I must.
I used to faint a lot. I think after I got used to that embarrassment, public speaking wasn’t too bad, but I have to have my barriers.
Great answer. I also avoid crowds, but I like small groups.
Play off the Page
I just had a party for my birthday. Small compared to most, but huge for me. It was at my home with my friends and family. It was nice… As soon as all the guests left, I literally passed out. Luckily my husband is really good at taking care of me. I can do social events if I plan and prep, but they exhaust me.
I think I must be an outlier, because I’m an author who is an extrovert. In order to stay sane, I need lots of contact with people and social interaction. Which leads to WAY too much procrastination on social media now that I work from home.
I’m surprised you’re a mild introvert. This probably sounds weird, but you come across as very outgoing online.