Last week I received a letter in the mail from one of my fans. It contained a thank you card which expressed her gratitude for the stories I have written and eager anticipation for more stories to come. I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. Of course, I’d received messages and e-mails from fans before, but this marked the first time I’d ever gotten a physical piece of fan mail. Besides, any word of appreciation and encouragement is golden to an author.
The life of a writer can often be a lonely one. As an artist who primarily works alone on projects taking up to a year or more to complete, the craft of storytelling is mainly a solitary process. Of course, a great deal of art -if not the majority of it- is created in isolation. It is in the sharing of completed art that the work and the artist can receive the appreciation that they deserve. But even then, not all artists enjoy the same degree of acknowledgment from their fans.
Picture an actor in a play. He’s worked for months in rehearsals, memorizing lines, learning his blocking, dealing with his fellow players, enduring costuming, and repeating the same few hours of play-acting until it invades his dreams and becomes a permanent fixture in his life-memories. Finally, opening night arrives, and he waits anxiously in the wings, listening to the audience’s gentle murmuring and squeaking seats. Then the lights go down, and before he knows it the show is over and he’s standing before a crowd of people clapping thunderously as he takes his bow. In a single, glorious surge of noise and communal acceptance, the artist receives all the confirming validation that he needs.
But what if the audience is somewhere else? What if they’re scattered throughout the world, watching the performance in little private showings all at different times over the course of many years. This is what it’s like for an author. Created in isolation, the writer’s art is enjoyed in isolation, and the author returns to their craft without fanfare or applause.
A written review is a one-man standing ovation. It is a declaration that not only was this a novel that touched the reader, but that other readers should also give a small portion of their valuable time to this carefully crafted story. Even if the review doesn’t have a five star rating, it validates the many long hours that the author willingly sacrificed in order to create something for someone else to read.
But as desperately as they may be needed, it’s not easy for authors to ask for reviews. Can you imagine an actor walking out onto the stage after a performance, looking directly at the audience, and saying “well, did you like it?” No artist wants to do that.
Of course, I realize that writing a review may not be among a reader’s perceived strengths. Even a professional writer like me struggles with the idea of putting my thoughts and reactions to a book into words for anyone in the world to see. But after seriously considering this subject, I’ve decided to make a goal. Before Christmas, I will write and post reviews on Goodreads for each novel I have read which was written by an author that I personally know. I’ll be posting my progress in the comments below. If you’d like to make a similar goal, please share how it goes.
Merry Christmas to all of you!
If you'd like to write a review for any of my books, please check out one of the following links to get started.
Lindsay's Amazon Author Page
Lindsay's Goodreads Author Page
