Thursday, August 12, 2010

Paying a Stranger a Compliment

Yesterday morning, I did something I don't normally do. I read an article in the newspaper -- the entire thing -- and I actually found myself enjoying it. Usually I skim the paper, or read a paragraph or two of something before I skip to checking out the weather, my horoscope, and the Dear Abby. Sometimes when I'm busy, as I have been lately, the newspaper ends up lining the cats' litterboxes without me even glancing through it. But yesterday morning, as I casually flipped through, a particular article caught my attention.

It was a personal essay really, a story about a food writer who got to judge a show on the Food Network and ended up having to eat her most dreaded food -- eggs. The article was funny, and the writer's voice drew me in right away. (Click here if you want to read it yourself.)

I got to the end of the article, and I noticed that the reporter's e-mail address was there. I had a thought: I could e-mail her to tell her that I enjoyed her article. The old, negative me would've frowned at that idea. Remember I mentioned my hesitation to make new friends? This would also include me e-mailing people I don't know just for the purpose, of, well, being nice. Honestly, last week I would've read the article and not even have considered e-mailing the writer.

But I thought about it. One of my favorite things as a writer is hearing from readers who like my books. Just a simple e-mail from someone telling me how my books affected them, changed them, influenced them, or even just to say they enjoyed it -- is always enough to brighten my day. I think, as writers, we mostly find ourselves in a solitary profession where it's hard to imagine that there are actual readers somewhere on the other end of that. Hearing that there are, and that these people are enjoying my words, is one of the most positive experiences I get to have on a daily basis.

So I decided it might be nice to be on the other end of that for once, to respond positively as a reader, and that maybe, also, part of being positive is to say nice things when they occur to me, even if it is to a stranger. After all, how many strangers had brightened my days with their nice e-mails about my writing? So I sent her an e-mail. A simple e-mail, just saying how much I enjoyed the article and her voice. It took me two minutes. And then I moved on with my day, feeling pretty good about things.

What about you? Have you ever taken a few minutes to say something nice to a stranger? Do you think this makes you feel more positive about yourself?

10 comments:

  1. I actually have started doing this with authors. I, too, realized how much I love when I get an email from a reader, so I've made a conscious effort to return the favor!

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  2. Bravo! I'm sure she'll appreciate your feedback. I have been connecting with a lot of authors lately and have been more than happy to share with them that I liked their books. And if I have more to say than just the general stuff (little things or moments in the book that I could relate to, things that made me laugh, etc.), then I do that too. Maureen can attest to that. ;)

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  3. Saying something nice to a stranger usually makes me have a better day. I, too, tend to be a pessimist, but on the rare days my pessimism hibernates, I recognize the joy that can come from being an upbeat and positive soul. Though for some reason it doesn't make me want to be nice on a permanent basis. Hmmm.

    I'm sure that the article's author totally adored your email though. And I'm sure it made her day.

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  4. It was definitely a good feeling to share my positive thoughts as a reader, so I'm going to make a conscious effort to do it more often :-)

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  5. I did that a while back - commented on an author's facebook page letting her know that I loved her book that I had just finished. And I was amazed when she commented back.
    The same thing with your blog, I've commented and you have commented back - to me, that's huge! To know that you took time out of your day to read what I wrote and comment back on it.
    I think I'm going to do this more often. Between Facebook and Goodreads, I have a way to let all of my favorite authors know that I loved their book(s)!

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  6. Stacy, thank you so much for commenting this week! It's been lovely to hear your thoughts. I definitely think you should share nice thoughts with authors you like -- I know they'll love to hear them!

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  7. I love finding opportunities to do just this. It makes a person's day. I'm so glad it made yours!

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  8. It's the whole pay it forward concept where you do something nice for a person and then that person does something nice and so on. Sometimes it's as simple as smiling at someone or opening a door for someone that starts the chain of events:-)

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  9. Thank you, Beth! You're right -- it did make my day.

    And Rachel, I agree that any simple kind gesture could do the trick and also make you feel more positive.

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  10. I do. Just lastnight I e-mailed two of my author buddies and asked how they were doing. Given we all have busy schedules we don't talk nearly as much as we'd like so I think it's crucial to check in here and there. I'm glad I did, one of them was having a rough week and was glad I contacted her and the other, lol, turned it around and asked ME how I was doing because she knew I'd been having a rough summer.

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