They warmly welcomed me and plied me with home-made peanut butter cookies. They listened with patience as I talked about how I became a writer. Then, they asked questions about my stories, my writing routine, and when (oh, when), that next book would be ready for them to read. A few talked about their own writing projects and asked how they might get started.
"Thank you," I said, at the end of the hour-and-a-half we spent together. But thank you seems so inadequate for this committed group of readers, supporters of literacy in their community, and lovers of the written word.
Most of the time, I write alone. I ponder and dream. I revise and edit. And revise again. I wonder if my stories are good enough for that next step -- publication. For now, it's spring. A time to be grateful that winter has passed. We can think of new beginnings -- or share our stories.
May this turn of the season be very good to you.
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| Spring and a favorite walk through the Rose Garden in Manito Park |
Spring is a beautiful season, but I’m looking forward to summer. I miss the warmth, as spring has been rainy, windy, and chilly everywhere we tried to escape that sort of thing in the Southwest of the US. We just arrived in Southern Utah and - believe it or not - it snowed on us today!
ReplyDeleteSo, reading about your intimate encounter with readers makes me smile and warm! It’s so nice to connect and I can imagine a “thank you” doesn’t do it justice. Yet from their point of view, they probably thanked you for the your time ad insights! And for entertaining them. :-)
I feel the same way about spring, Liesbet. This week is rainy and cold, pretty far away from last week's sunny promises. We'll be headed down through the beautiful southwest in Sept/Oct, and yes, I can believe it snowed on you! Thank you for your comment about those readers from the Book Club; they were truly amazing.
DeleteWhat a great experience! Talking to fellow writers can be so rewarding, no matter what level they're at. Newer writers are open and eager. Plus, peanut butter cookies sound yummy.
ReplyDeleteI love the transition seasons the best, though fall comes in number 1. I love the openness of change.
Thank you for visiting, Shannon. I love your list of 10 actions to take instead of publicly ranting and raving in response to negative reviews. Lots of good advice. My favorite still is to write the guilty party into the next story!
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