I have written letters to several authors whose books have had particular meaning for me. And sometimes get a response back! I reread Laurie King's mysteries while nursing a very premature baby at home for months. For some reason they were an incredible comfort and also all I could handle. So I wrote her and told her about it, and she wrote back a lovely short note. And I personally am always thrilled when someone's read my book and writes me a mailed letter or email to say they liked it. It means so much! We wouldn't bother publishing words publicly if we didn't want to connect in some way ...
I shared this piece with Claire Oshetsky, and she wrote a lovely email back in less than 24 hours! Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm realizing that my growth edge right now is to build community in all sorts of ways, including with other writers. I'm glad you're one of them :)
Your Questhouse letter got me thinking about different kinds of 'likes'. When something is well-written, people who care about writing will appreciate it and value it. If a story or writing moves the reader viscerally, that, too, will elicit a response. I might love a person's writing, but throughly dislike what they are writing about, or even the genre. The two are intertwined. And if the writer simply gets a 'like' or a thumbs-down, they could easily misinterpret the intention behind it. My mind keeps coming back to "Garden Party": 'you can't please everyone, so you gotta please yourself.'
It's true--you gotta please yourself. And what Nia says is also true--we wouldn't publish our work publicly if we didn't want to connect with readers. Watching you work so hard to promote Catching Sight of Thelma and Louise, while also staying true to your vision, inspires me.
I'm sending a message from the ether to say I liked AND loved this post, Mizz Jones! I have wanted to love & comment for many moons now, but it took going to my laptop (vs. my phone), figuring out how to sign in (which meant resetting my password), and setting up a profile. But your post gave me the push I needed to show the support you deserve. Please know that you have many loving but lazy fans who benefit from your wit & wisdom! ;)
Thanks, Mizz Strand! I appreciate both that you took the time to do all that setup (wow!) and that you reminded me that a simple click isn't always that simple. <3
I have written letters to several authors whose books have had particular meaning for me. And sometimes get a response back! I reread Laurie King's mysteries while nursing a very premature baby at home for months. For some reason they were an incredible comfort and also all I could handle. So I wrote her and told her about it, and she wrote back a lovely short note. And I personally am always thrilled when someone's read my book and writes me a mailed letter or email to say they liked it. It means so much! We wouldn't bother publishing words publicly if we didn't want to connect in some way ...
I shared this piece with Claire Oshetsky, and she wrote a lovely email back in less than 24 hours! Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm realizing that my growth edge right now is to build community in all sorts of ways, including with other writers. I'm glad you're one of them :)
Same!
Your Questhouse letter got me thinking about different kinds of 'likes'. When something is well-written, people who care about writing will appreciate it and value it. If a story or writing moves the reader viscerally, that, too, will elicit a response. I might love a person's writing, but throughly dislike what they are writing about, or even the genre. The two are intertwined. And if the writer simply gets a 'like' or a thumbs-down, they could easily misinterpret the intention behind it. My mind keeps coming back to "Garden Party": 'you can't please everyone, so you gotta please yourself.'
It's true--you gotta please yourself. And what Nia says is also true--we wouldn't publish our work publicly if we didn't want to connect with readers. Watching you work so hard to promote Catching Sight of Thelma and Louise, while also staying true to your vision, inspires me.
Thank you very much!
I'm sending a message from the ether to say I liked AND loved this post, Mizz Jones! I have wanted to love & comment for many moons now, but it took going to my laptop (vs. my phone), figuring out how to sign in (which meant resetting my password), and setting up a profile. But your post gave me the push I needed to show the support you deserve. Please know that you have many loving but lazy fans who benefit from your wit & wisdom! ;)
Thanks, Mizz Strand! I appreciate both that you took the time to do all that setup (wow!) and that you reminded me that a simple click isn't always that simple. <3