by Nicole Petrino-Salter
No matter your age, what genre you write, how
many books published or if none so far, everybody needs encouragement. To hear
words of affirmation about one's writing produces immeasurable comfort,
satisfaction, peace, and/or determination. Let's face it: we all need
encouragement in most areas of our lives. There's just something extra special
about someone telling you how much they enjoy, appreciate, or are amazed by
what you've written.
Bestselling authors usually don't have time
to conversationally relate to their readers. One of the most successful
authors in Christian fiction at keeping in touch with her fan base is Karen
Kingsbury who has to be one of the best marketers in the biz. But if we're not
of the group who wears the "bestselling" label or brand,
it's particularly satisfying when we receive a reader's response to
our work or another author's praise or a good review.
The objective of this post isn't to point out the
obvious. It's a reminder to each author, famous, unknown, or infamous, others
need encouragement. It shouldn't be too much for any of us to encourage one
another if it comes from the heart. In a world where there is evil cast as good
and good as evil, writers who are dedicated to producing the best they can could
use a little inspiration to keep going, to continue, to keep on with that novel
or series or whatever their current project might be. At times the writing
comes "easy" and at others it doesn't come along at all. A few
words can help a writer see themselves as someone unique, someone who
gets the struggle but wants to continue and will because of those few
sentences offered from a pure heart.
Haven't we all needed those words more times
than we might care to admit? I know I have.
Nicole Petrino-Salter writes love stories with a
passion. You can find here most days.
Words of wisdom,Nicole. Thank you so much for the reminder to keep encouraging one another.
ReplyDeleteWe need it, don't we. And we need to give it back. Thanks, Pat.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Nicole! Those little nuggets of encouragement do help us keep going. It's a tough business with a lot of rejection, so any encouragement is freely welcomed. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd really, there's little more gratifying that being an encourager.
You're absolutely right, Bren.
ReplyDeleteEncouragement is one of the gifts of the spirit. God has wired some people with this incredible gift. I have certainly needed an encourager in the writing life many times. Such a simple thing and so priceless to the recipient.
ReplyDeleteBlessings.
Exactly, Linda. God's abundance to you.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to more often remember to tell authors I've enjoyed their book. When they are on Facebook, this is quite easy to do. Even just commenting, "It was a great book!" seems to mean a lot, because they almost always respond. It feels good to make someone else feel good.
ReplyDeleteIt does, Pam. And you're so right. That simple sentence accomplishes such gratitude from a writer. Very thoughtful of you to make a point of expressing how much you enjoy a book.
ReplyDelete