If you read my last post you know that I recently participated in a writer’s workshop and received a lot of encouragement about my writing. In a separate workshop it was mentioned that writer’s needed to have a big ego. I realize I do not have that yet and so the encouragement was hard to accept and made me nervous. Nervous that I would actually be discovered somewhere and everyone would then see all of my faults.
Encouragement is a good thing. When my family and friends root for me and tell me how much they enjoy my writing, I feel loved and my self-esteem is inflated just a little bit more. I appreciate and cherish all those words of encouragement.
Encouragement is something everyone needs. Even if I react in a strange manner to encouragement from professionals, I am grateful for it. Once I worked through the stage fright, the encouragement prodded me to submit my stories again and work on the unfinished NaNoWriMo novel. I am spending more time at the keyboard as a result and that isn’t a bad thing.
Next time you read a story and you come away from it excited or thoughtful or teary eyed, send the author a short email letting them know. You never know, maybe your encouragement will come at just the right time to lift them from a black place and get them writing again. Their next story might be even better for your encouragement.
