Backstage Pass: The Author-Reader connection
Recently I was informed that a young reader of mine who’d been struggling with cancer passed away. The moment I found that out really hit hard and reminded me of how precious life is, and how blessed I am to be able to bless some people in a small way. When I have had the opportunity to visit middle schools I have found the interaction with the kids to be unparalleled in inspiration and encouragement.
There is more to writing books than simply putting stories out there. Most writers don’t do it for the money (because it is sparse and hard to come by in this profession). Most do it for the love of telling the stories and sharing them with people who will care about those stories.
A best selling author once told me that he would not continue to write if no one was reading his stories. At the time I did not understand what he meant. I felt that no matter what happened I would always want to write stories, if only for the fun of it. But now that I have this personal connection to readers across the US and in even some in Canada and other countries, I understand what he meant. Writing has become a ministry of sorts. The stories I create have the ability to touch lives, encourage people, entertain them, and sometimes to pull their minds away from their own troubles.
That is the connection that an author has to their readers. And it often leads to a strong emotional link so that we care about one another.
Question: Do you feel personally connected to the authors you read?
