Connections with Authors

Besides being a writer and poet, I’m also a reader.  I have to admit when I get messages or emails from authors of books I’ve read, I get really excited.  I also love signed books!  I could care less about meeting any movie or TV stars or athletic stars or even political ones and I’ve met a few.  Nope, give me an author any day!

I was lucky to have met Maya Angelou because she was a Prof where I went to grad school.  Tom Clancy spoke at my graduation.  I have met several local poets in my area who are well-known.  I would love to meet Ted Kooser, as he’s my favorite poet.  

With social media, it’s so much fun to connect with my favorite writers.  Occasionally, I even get an email or message from a reader that likes some of my work.  

There are so many ways to connect with your readers, too.  I seem to connect the most via my email list (occasionally I send out newsletter like emails of upcoming events or new books coming out), with my website and with Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.  Most of my YT fans, though, like my train videos more than the ones about my writing.  I have written about trains, too!  

How do you or how will you connect with your readers?

A Change of Place

Sometimes it’s good to change places, no matter your daily pace.  See, I had to throw that pace word in there, lol.  

I’m an introvert like a lot of writers and poets, so it’s not my usual thing to want to go out and socialize at any time, and not just during this very unusual one we currently live in.  I am not the writer you will see camping out in a restaurant or coffee shop to write.  I am always curious about those who do.  I am sure it is beneficial to their writing experience and maybe it’s the only way they get the time to write.  I know I have to have my writing time scheduled in my writing nook so that’s what I usually do.

The other evening, though, I left my comfortable writing chair and my computer and instead met some friends to try a new place in town.  It’s not a bar or restaurant, but it serves a specialized type of food and so the atmosphere reflects it.  It was so refreshing to get out of my routine, to be in a different space for a while because I simply can’t achieve that same thing by watching a movie or TV show or putting away laundry for the umpteenth time.  For a few weeks, I had been unenthusiastic about writing anything or working on any of my projects.  But that quickly changed after I hung out for a few hours with my friends.  Now, this place was not crowded - a crowd around here is going to be 30 people or more in once place and chances are if there’s a crowd I won’t be in it unless I have to be.  (Yes, I’m a true introvert!)

This experience was just the jolt I needed to get my ideas churning again and to make plans on the current projects I’d been working on.  Like I like to say, sometimes it’s good to take yourself out of the usual equation and try a new formula.

While I was there, I didn’t think about anything except enjoying the music, the surroundings and the company of my friends. What do you do to get yourself motivated again with your writing?