Picture this: you’re at the start of your writing career – you’ve worked hard to get this far and things are looking up. Perhaps you’ve published your first few short stories or articles, won a prize, maybe signed with an agent. Then out of the blue you get your first invitation to speak at an event. It’s an acknowledgement of how far you’ve come. Flattering too. They’re convinced it’ll be great exposure for you, but hurry, they need to know yes or no by return. You don’t want to miss out.