For those of you just stopping by the blog on a random Wednesday… haven’t you heard? It’s writer appreciation week!
As I’m sure you know, being a writer can be very difficult. Particularly with the amount of rejection writers have to face, whether they’re passes from agents or editors or receive one of those truly mean Amazon reviews written by those evil people who write truly mean Amazon reviews.
So. While this business can be rife with negativity, I would like to request that we forget all that tough slogging for a moment and share the love. Let’s say something nice about one or more fellow writers.
I’ll start. I’d like to thank my clients for being the most talented, professional, and hardworking group of writers I’ve ever met. I truly feel lucky to be working with you.
Oh, and Roald Dahl, wherever you are, you were my favorite writer when I was a kid and I know I wrote that fan letter to you in fifth grade and then you died that very same week, and I’d like to think that you read the letter before you passed, or, at the very least, that my letter wasn’t somehow responsible. It was a little traumatizing. You probably would have appreciated that.
Your turn!
D. G. Hudson says
Many thanks to those writers who create a world real enough to make some of us wish we were there.
Thanks to you too, Nathan, for hosting this blog.
Melissa Pearl says
Firstly, I'd like to thank you, Nathan. Your blogs are both uplifting and helpful.
Secondly, I'd like to thank my favorite author, Francine Rivers, for hours to inspiring entertainment. I must have read your Mark of the Lion trilogy at least 15 times now… can't get enough of those awesome characters.
Jill James says
Thank you to Louisa May Alcott, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Anne Frank for showing the would that a young girl's life can be worth reading about.
A Paperback Writer says
Thanks to David Cunningham (author of CloudWorld) for helping me fix that troublesome chapter last summer.
And thanks to Edwin Morgan (Scottish poet) for writing the most diverse poetry and for being so inspiring to so very many people, and not just the folks who usually read poetry.
Lisa says
Without my writers group's support, I just might not get out of bed and to my computer some mornings. They give me encouragement when I'm struggling with a piece; they keep me honest and won't allow me to write lazy. And they keep me sending out my work and do celebratory dances when something gets published. So here's a giant writerly hug to the Sistahs of Submission!
Nick says
Oh, and so long as we're showing our appreciation for published authors, I have a massive debt of gratitude for the late J.R.R. Tolkien. 'twas reading The Hobbit in 3rd grade that made me dedicate my life to writing. Quite honestly I've never considered doing anything else with my life.
kdrausin says
The first two writers that came to mind for me were: Donna Jo Napoli and Patti Gauch. They are both extremely talented writers and teachers but beyond that, they are wonderful people.
Thank you E.B. White-Charlotte's Web! And FYI- Roald Dahl's son lives in Ft. Myers, Fl. He came to our school several years ago to see a production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Jan Markley says
Thanks Carolyn Keene for Nancy Drew. I loved her independence. My protagonists in my debut novel for young readers Dead Frog on the Porch are inspired by the girl detective in their first mystery adventure.
Thanks to W. Sommerset Maugham for Of Human Bondage what I think is one of the best works of literature, it's about life, love and the pursuit of happiness.
If Lionel Shriver had a home page I'd write her an email, something to the effect that her book We need to talk about Kevin is addictive, not in a 'davinci code' kinda way, but in an 'OMG I really need to know what happens to these characthers' kinda way.
kdrausin says
Sue Monk Kidd! I can't believe I forgot Sue Monk Kidd- I don't know her but I love her writing. First Light, When the Heart Waits, The Secret Life of Bees- I can't wait to read her new book coming out on the 8th.- Thank you Ms. Kidd
WitLiz Today says
This is a very zennish moment in my life. So, I'll try to keep this short.
I'm very grateful to me, because writing can be such a thankless, penniless, selfless job at times.
It can torture unto death whatever ego you have, with lots of pain, from the first rejection to your last. But here's a little post-it note to stick on your writer's bass for the rest of your life. THERE IS NO LAST REJECTION.
Furthermore, writing can drag your bass through the bowels of H E hockey sticks, leaving you feeling more vulnerable, and more exposed than you've ever felt in your entire life.
It can leave you foul-mouthed, in a foul-mood, and perhaps, worst of all, fouled-out in the basketball court of your writer's den.
Yes, if it weren't for me, I couldn't survive or persevere in this business–a business that drags every last bit of bloody decency I have within my soul, with my obsessive thought of 'perish or publish,' . . . but not you Waldo.
It takes guts to do what I do. Everyday I have to make horrendous decisions. Get up and write, or get up and party. Get up and write, or get up and watch football. Get up and write, or get up and talk to someone…anyone. (Please, anyone)
Then I have to put up with the blunt to the point of resharpening the knife over and over, criticisms from my beta readers. I swear to gollyfarm, I have more stab wounds on my bass, than I rightly deserve. Julius Caesar never had it so bad.
And finally, the search for writer's glory, or at the very damn least, validation, begins when you send off the query letter only for you to be completely demolished and humiliated between less than one minute, to two hours, to 40 days and 40 nights later. (See third paragraph)
So, thank you me, for the inspiration I give other people to know that if I can write, well, gosh bless you, anybody can.
And should, imho. Its important for everybody to leave future generations a legacy of your life, however it turned out. I truly believe that.
So I raise my cup of thanks to all writer's everywhere.
D. Michael Olive says
Thanks, Norton Juster, for writing what to this day is my favorite book, The Phantom Tollbooth. Your use of language was fascinating and the concept of the characters, places, and events was magical to me back in fifth grade. I reread my hardcopy a month ago and it still makes me smile.
Alena Thomas says
Thank you, Nathan, for all you do for writers. I'd like to thank J.D. Salinger and Ray Bradbury for writing the two books that have inspired me most over the years and Oscar Wilde, who inspired me with not only his writing, but also the way he chose to live his life in a time when being different was about the worst thing to be.
Stephen Duncan says
With respect to Tigger, the wonderful thing about authors is authors are wonderful things. I've never seen a community so interested in helping those following in their footsteps. Whether it's a NYT bestseller or soon-to-be published new friends, helpful blogs or emails, facebook, and dinner, I've received priceless advice and encouragement from these authors that have helped me in profound ways to get where I am and guide me in my career.
I think this is unique to professional communities.
Lisa Lawmaster Hess says
I will always be grateful to
K L Going who was my mentor at the Rutgers One-on-One Plus conference the very first time I went. I was nervous and unsure of myself, and not only did she make me feel like a real writer, but she was a gracious mentor as well. She took me under her wing, hung out with me all day and made the conference an incredible experience. I've emailed her several times since, and no matter how many books she publishes, or how many awards she wins, she remains just as gracious and encouraging.
On the unpublished/newly published writer side, I'm so grateful for the writers in my critique group who are great in their own right and generous with their time and comments. Thanks to them, my writing continues to improve.
3wmgt says
a true statement of encouragement for the faint hearted thank you i hope to hear more from you
indalay says
I have to say thank you to Laura Ingalls Wilder, Elizabeth Enright, Edward Eager, Martha Finley, Elizabeth George Speare, Joan Aiken and every other wonderful Middle Grade/YA author who if currently writing would have a hard time finding representation because they used adverbs and the climax didn't happen on the first page. 🙂
Lucy says
Thanks to A.A. Milne, who I discovered in my adult years, and who wrote so wonderfully and vividly that a grownup can still be entranced with the adventures of Winnie-ther-Pooh. And yes, it is "ther," as Christopher Robin will tell you.
marye.ulrich says
I've just finished two of Eloisa James' novels. I was impressed by her characters, her storytelling, and by her website where she adds an "extra scene" just like movie trailers add extra footage to their movies.
Plus, Ms. James is a university professor who is building respect for the romance genre.
The Uneasy Writer says
I would like to tip my hat to all the writers out there who have had the balls to submit their work, knowing rejection may be just around the corner. Here's hoping that one day, the publishing industry will treat us like the artists we are.
Kristin Tubb says
Thank you to Madeleine L'Engle, who, when I was in sixth grade, told me I could be a writer if I kept reading. She passed away a month before my first book came out. I'd hoped to send her a copy…
And to the writers in SCBWI – thank you! You *all* rock! 🙂
B.J. Anderson says
I love Avi who wrote The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. I loved that book! I read it over and over and over again and always thought the main character was so cool.
Lorel Clayton says
Thanks to Walter Jon Williams for writing my favorite brain food! Even though I've never met anyone else who's a fan, I'm proud to say I am. He's the only writer I know of who could have five multiple personalities talking in the main character's mind almost simultaneously without leaving me confused.
Also, my hat off to all published authors and those still trying. It takes a lot of guts to go after your dream.
Victoria Schwab says
I'd like to thank Susan Adrian, Emily Hainesworth, Scott Tracey, Courtney Summers, Linda Grimes and Tiffany Schmidt. They are an AMAZING group of writers whose energy is contagious. Their work will definitely be gracing the public sphere soon (and Courtney's does already) but they are talented writers and invaluable friends.
Stephanie says
Ok, I'd like to say something nice about you Nathan…here goes:
THANK YOU for being a compassionate human being/agent who publicly goes on the record recognizing how hard we writers work, published or otherwise. To borrow an over used phrase- YOU ROCK!
xo
Tracy Hahn-Burkett says
I'd like to thank Laurie Wagner, my very first writing teacher. She showed me through an online course that I actually can string sentences together. Who knew? As for authors: thank you to every single one of the hundreds who pulled me briefly into a world of his or her imagination and made me want to create that same magic, too.
storyqueen says
Thank you Eva Ibottson for writing cool things that kids love and I do, too.
And a thank you to everyone out there who blogs about writing. There are amazing voices out there!
Keep blogging, bloggers!
Shelley
Silicon Valley Diva says
This post was so timely. A few hours ago my daughter and me just returned from B&N and she chose Roald's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for her 4th grade class book report. A few moments ago she lifted her head from the book to tell me how much more "funnier" the book is than the movie.
Anyhow, say something nice about a writer??? Oh my, where do I even begin lol?
I would like to think all those experienced writers and editors who take time out of their oh-so busy schedules to offer advice and give critiques. Words cannot even express my gratitude.
GRETCHEN says
John Green – I think you're brilliant. Your talent for combining the poignant with the hilarious makes for some of the most captivating, entertaining, and soul-shaking reading I've ever done. Thank you.
Literary Cowgirl says
I wish I would have added Mitch Albom to my former list, for writing something inspriational that actually managed to catch my attention.
@Dan I hope you do get Sabina for your collective, she rocks, and so does your own Songs from the otherside. And if I'm going to metion some of the usual suspects, Paul House definitely needs mention because his writing is beyond beautiful, Robb Grindstaff for expressing the thoughts of a teen girl with such clarity, and because he never stops helping others, and Dai Lowe for making art an interesting and challenging game. I best stop there. There are too many to mention. Well, thanks to any unpublished writer who has managed to develop a unique voice and stay out of the mnainstream.
Laura Martone says
It's too darn late for anyone to be reading my comment, but, what the heck, I'll say it anyway!
Just wanted to thank "WitLiz Today" for his/her earlier "zennish moment" – well said and deeply felt. I think it's paramount that we keep persevering and believing in ourselves, no matter where we are in the publishing spectrum.
Jack Roberts, Annabelle's scribe says
Thank you Nathan, for this blog. A place to learn and share.
Thanks to Richard Adams who taught me the power of novels, Anne Rice for creating something that started something within me and JK for helping build my passion.
Thanks to my fellow writers in my critique groups for helping me grow and learn.
Nicholas says
I'll make a shout out to Jane Lindskold. Your writing has added some fire to my own, and the fact that you seem to reply personaly to my e-mails makes me feel like I have a freind out there in the published world. Thank you.
terripatrick says
Thank you all my writer friends, who love to twist and turn the plots and words. Who else understands when I say, I'm up a blazing tree, rocks are falling and the wolves are circling, how can I spout wings? What talent do I need to have forgotten, before I ended up here?
Thank you all authors who touched my heart, spirited me away to others worlds, then brought me back earth with a gentle bump, a "Whew!" and another adventure to savor in my psyche.
And special thanks to my friend Candy, who dropped grocery bags full of genre romances on my doorstep. So I could savor different worlds, relationships, families and talents, while sipping coffee and my toddlers played. Those books waiting to be read made housework something fun to finish – with the reward of another story to savor.
redqueen1 says
I'd like to thank Brian Jacques for hooking me in second grade with the book Redwall.
Oh, and thanks to Miss Snark's First Victim for being so freaking awesome.
Catherine Hughes says
I would like to thank Isaac Asimov for opening my mind and my heart; Nicola Morgan for the very helpful blog that she takes such a personal approach to; Simon Green for helping me through a horrendous pregnancy (you didn't see THAT one coming, did you?); Frank Herbert for my favourite alternate reality; and Madeleine L'Engle for explaining tesseracts in a way that a six year old could understand.
My world wouldn't be half as much fun without books and the writers who create them.
Bron says
There are so many writers I'd like to thank, but I'll settle on Terry Pratchett. His books are clever and they always make me laugh. Whenever I'm feeling down or stressed, I can pick up a Discworld book and transport myself away. I also think he handled his diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's with grace. So thank you Terry Pratchett.
Romy says
My thanks would go to the entire romance writing community, published and unpublished. I have been amazed at how much support, encouragement and nurturing these writers give one another.
Michelle says
Aw, Nathan, that's so sad about your letter to Mr. Dahl. He was my absolute favorite when I was little too.
I'd like to thank my moose buddies on yahighway.blogspot.com for listening to me gripe and wail about the progress of my WIP (or lack thereof) on a daily basis.
And I'd like to thank you, Nathan, for publishing such positive and motivating posts every day!
Maya / מיה says
Thank you Annie Dillard for responding to that two-page (single-spaced) fan letter than I wrote you when I was thirteen… thank you for actually writing a page back to me and telling me I wrote well! You have no idea how much that meant to me. Sorry I was too bashful to write back again. We could have been pen pals.
Ben Dutton says
So many talented writers have guided me, nutured my own talent, assisted, cajoled and sometimes forced me into writing again. Special thanks must go to playwright Dic Edwards who taught me creative writing at university level, children's author Frances Cross whom I met at the start of my writing career and was great, Elizabeth Ashworth, another talented writer who ran a course I went on at 15 and was supposed to be 18. Special mention must also go to those teachers who let me write at school when I should have been studying. Then there are those unpublished (so far) writers who are walking the same path as me: Byron Alexander, Richie Copeland, Josie Smith and many many more. Writers, to other writers, I find the most accommodating and enthuasistic people. Everyone of us deserves to be published.
Caroline Starr Rose says
For Norton Juster, thank you for The Phantom Tollbooth and the fun it gave me in middle school. I've faithfully read it with my students over the years and have never tired of Milo and his adventures in the Lands Beyond.
Etiquette Bitch says
Oh, I could go on!
Thank you to all the insightful, helpful-to-writers bloggers: Nathan, Janet, The Rejecter, Literary Guide.
Thank you to the writers, agents + editors I know who take the time to hang out + give me advice: Wendy McClure, Sara Wolski.
Thank you to the writers I see around me in Chicago who, published, unpublished, self-published, never ever quit. They inspire me. Some days I think I'm done for + it'll never happen. Then I see someone who keeps plugging away, and I pick it back up.
And thank you to Lauren Baratz-Logsted who offered me a connection after I sent her a fan email. She's also a deliciously funny writer, sharp and smart.
Anonymous says
Thanks to John Bellairs for the many books about nerds fighting the undead, and for getting Edward Gorey to illustrate all your covers. Tremendously inspiring.
Etiquette Bitch says
ps – I also want to thank all the commenters on Nathan's blog. You give me food for thought + you make me feel not-so-alone in writerland.
Dave T says
Thanks to F.S. Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck and William Faulkner for writing things that were required reading in school. Could have been a drag but instead they stoked my imagination with their stories, and the way they used words.
If the writers in my two groups are any indication, there are a lot of gems waiting to be discovered by Nathan or someone like him. Thanks to them for making me want to compete with their talent.
klromo says
Hi Everyone – I've self-published a novel I strongly believe in, so I tend to gravitate to other self-published authors who are determined to make their novels a success. I'd like to thank Erika Robuck, author of Receive Me Falling, for very graciously sharing her thoughts and strategies with me. She has made her own platform and sold over 1000 books by herself – and now has four agents very interested. So I truly appreciate her advice and willingness to help me. Maybe my book, Is Harvey Dunne?, will get more buzz like her novel has. Thanks Erika!
Mel says
I'd like to say a huge thank you to all writers out there for inspiring me. And I'd like to say a special thanks to writers of comedy for keeping me sane through several tough and disspiriting years. Your work has truly helped me cope with difficult times, so thank you thank you thank you. xxxxxxx
lifeissweet16 says
I'm a little late, but I wrote a letter to Mark Bowden after I read Black Hawk Down. I didn't expect that he would even read it, much less respond, but he did. He was very gracious. And even all these years later, I still have the little not card that he hand-wrote to me thanking me for my letter.
And also kudos to all of us writers who plug away at it daily, be it writing a book, a blog or whatever we write just to keep the world entertained.
Arik Durfee says
I want to thank Tim O'Brian for THE THINGS THEY CARRIED, Orson Scott Card for ENDER'S GAME, and C.S. Lewis for everything he ever wrote. These and others have had a profound impact on my life. So thank you!
Jill Cahr says
As a writer and reader I'd like to thank:
-Frank Herbert: Dune is my favorite! Actually, not just Dune, but the whole entire series with all the prequels and sequels.
-Gabriel Garcia-Marquez
-Neil Stephenson
-J.K. Rowling
-Judy Blume (Forever was a milestone in my young reader years)
and, of course, my co-author Billy Rafferty!