A day or so later, a fellow I know
slightly wrote to tell me that he had loved the story and that it was “first
rate.”
I actually got tears in my eyes. Isn’t
that silly?
It was kind of him to take the time to let
me know what he thought. We probably wouldn’t know each other if we passed each
other on the street, so he needn’t have said anything and I would never have
known that he had listened to the story, let alone whether or not he liked it.
But he made a point of telling me that he had liked it, and why. That’s true
generosity.
Maybe his compliment meant so much to me
BECAUSE we don’t really know each other. Does that make sense? Of course your
mom will tell you she loves your stories. And co-workers and friends. I mean,
what else are they going to say? But when someone you don’t know (or barely
know) makes the effort to tell you they liked your story—wow. It matters.
Readers have no idea what power they
wield. One sincere compliment can make your month. (And when you’re 60,000
words into your latest novel and they all seem like crap, that compliment can
help keep your butt in the chair.)
So, Dear Reader, have you ever told a writer that you enjoyed her story? Why or why not? And writers, do you react differently to a compliment from someone you know, versus someone you don’t?
Oh, and if you like great short stories, in all genres, check out the WMG Publishing series of themed anthologies. Highly recommended.
