A Writer's Thrill

Thrills in writing most often don't get driven by money. Don't get me wrong - getting paid for your work needs to happen. Too many writers give their work away, treating their words and the volumes of time put into them as so much rubbish. That's a shame.

Writers should value their work. They should cherish the fact they completed it. When everything settles, the writing, publishing, marketing, promoting, etc., what lifts a writer more than anything? Someone excited, EXCITED to purchase his/her work.

It's not about the money. Lord knows writers see so little of that. The thrill comes down to the fact that a thinking, breathing, intelligent person is anxious to give you their money in exchange for what you created. This happened to me today and I must say, my spirits have been launched above the rainclouds that currently cover the sky.

A very nice young lady at my bank purchased two copies, one hardcover one soft, of my poetry book from my wife as she deposited a check. This book, Loves Lost and Found, does not come cheap. My wife phoned me of the purchase, so on a trip to the post office, I stopped by the bank to autograph it for her. I believe an author should never miss an opportunity to autograph a book for someone.

Brandi's enthusiasm and downright excitement evoked a smile deep inside me. The writing and publishing business is tough. Sales can be hard to come by and it's easy to fall into a rut of discouragement. Then a Brandi comes along and you know you're in this industry for a reason.

Brandi was so excited to get the books - one is going to her mother - that she told me she may be calling me for a couple more for friends. Yes, it was nice to get some money, but knowing my work would be read and (hopefully) cherished defines the real satisfaction and yes, even thrill of being an author. This is why most of us write. This is why most of us languish in obscurity, each secretly dreaming the masses will become aware of our work and each of us knowing this most likely will never happen.

Personal contact with a fan - priceless. Recently, at a Toastmasters meeting, one of the speakers quoted from this very book in her speech. The moment was surreal, hearing my words, written so very long ago, rolling off her tongue and trickling into our ears in the audience thrilled me.

My words blew me away. I couldn't believe I had written them. To be honored by being quoted in a speech lifted me high for weeks. That the poem (I call it more a poetic essay) was one of my least favorite in the book made the experience even more gratifying. If this wonderful speaker saw such tremendous value in work I thought suspect, I must remember that we are our own worst critic.

The thing about the money is this - when someone lays down their hard-earned cash for your work, they will read it. Your book will not die a lonely, unopened life, tucked away in some musty attic somewhere. lost forever to the eyes of the world. When a person deems your work 'worth' something, you have cause to be thrilled. Give the book away and you devalue it immediately to say nothing of its chances of being read.

All writers have egos, otherwise we would not be writing. We feel we have something useful, meaningful, beautiful to say in this world. Sometimes all it takes to soothe a writer's soul is the knowledge that someone cares enough to read your work. Other times, a known reader is all it takes to thrill an author. For what it's worth, that's my take on the writing life.