The IWSG question of the month for May: Has any of your readers ever responded to your writing in a way you didn't expect?
Whenever a reader responds--a good review, a fan email, a smile, a quiet thanks--I'm always surprised. Why? Because it means my writing touched someone enough that they went out of their way to let me know. It's easy to think you write in a vacuum, even when you're getting good sales. The stories go out, but percentage-wise, it's rare for anything to come back in terms of a response. Good, bad, or otherwise.
The time that surprised me the most was at a book festival. I was sitting around with other, better known authors, and a random person came up to the group and looked straight at me.
"I know you," he said.
I scrambled to place where I might've known him. At work? At school? At church? Nothing triggered.
"You wrote [insert novelette in an anthology that's now out of print--the same one I ended up rewriting and turning into the novella, Well of Ash]. I loved it!"
I kind of blinked at him. How on Earth did he recognize me? Turned out, he was a quiet follower of my blog and social media. This was an actual fan.They exist!
Don't think I've ever been more blown away.
So, if you love a writer's work, please let them know. We can live off that happiness for years to come ;)
Have you ever let an author know how much you loved their work? Have you ever been surprised by a reader's response?
