You Da Bomb
A friend wrote me awhile back and complimented me on my blog, saying, “I don’t know if you realize this, but you really are a writer.”
Well, I had sorta thought I was a writer. Yet I loved hearing someone else say so. It was a great compliment.
It got me thinking about how important it is for writers to hear compliments about their work – and to allow themselves to believe them, to take them in and be encouraged by them.
So let’s focus on the positive today. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received on something you’ve written? Did you allow yourself to accept it? Did it encourage you?
If you’ve never gotten a compliment on your writing, then tell us about any kind of compliment that rocked your world.
Have a good weekend!
Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent
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>My husband told me that my story sounded like a 'real book.' I was thrilled!
>@Catherine: I got a similar comment! Someone said my book "was just as good as Karen Kingsbury or Francine Rivers"- ee gads! I was just too afraid of putting that one up here so I went with another compliment instead, lol.
Now I want to read yours! Francine Rivers is my all-time FAVORITE author! Seriously, you can email me if you want, I'd love to hear about your book! Just click my name for my contact info. š
>A friend said "Your writing is just like Francine Rivers!" (I didn't quite believe her but hey, it rocked my world!)
>Someone from my writers group told me that my writing was on par with what is being published out there right now. It was the best compliment someone could give me. Also, sometimes at critique meetings people tell me that they were so engrossed in the story that they didn't edit grammar mistakes. That is always awesome. I receive these compliments gladly and shut my inner critic down whenever she tries to reject them.
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>I love to hear that my book made the reader cry. But I think my favorite compliment so far is when someone told me that they find themselves thinking about my characters throughout the day.
~ Michelle
>My happiest moment was when I heard from a reader who had a friend who felt the need for religion. The reader loaned this person my book on Bible study and the one on the Seven Deadly Sins. The friend chose Christianity because my books "rang true."
>Every one of my Amazon reviews contains some version of, "I couldn't put the books down."
And I have seven middle-of-the-night emails from readers blaming me for their lack of sleep.
Sweet!
>I hope it's not to late to add another one. My little 100-word tale made the final three in Janet Reid's latest contest. I respect her judgment and her clients, so I take it as an enormous compliment. I am on Cloud-Freaking-Nine and plan on spending the day there (the view is fantastic).
Terri
http://www.whyifearclowns.com
>A reader contacted my editor with the following feedback about my novel, Bittersweet Memories:
>>>I really enjoyed reading Cecelia Dowdy's book Bittersweet Memories. I picked it up from a Christian Store, In Kansas City, Mo. I must say I have never in my whole life read a book that was so good. Finished it in one day, that's how much I loved it. I would like to see more of her books.
Her words rocked my world and made my day! š
>I have love, love, loved reading all these comments! I feel inspired and I hope everyone else does too.
>Six months ago–my first query. Editor at Penguin Books (because I didn't realize I needed an agent-DUH) said she loved my sample pages even though they were a little rough. Then she said "Please get an agent so this manuscript gets the attention it deserves." Ahhh. It was the first time someone even hinted that maybe, just maybe, I wasn't kidding myself.
>I enjoy a great friendship with Beth Jusino. While she was an agent at Alive Communications, she took me on a tour of the office. She showed me the bookshelves where their author copies are and said,"We file the books alphabetically." She then pointed to one location on the shelf. "That means your book would go there."
I hadn't published anything yet. But her saying that was such an encouragement–a fun way for her to say, "I believe in you." And a fun way for me to dream.
>Every comments or critiques I get about my writings have "amazing" or "interesting" in them~ strangers or friends. But my artwork draws a lot of attention too and get compliments. I would say I enjoy hearing about hwo others like what they see. I still say I'm not a writer though- there's plenty of great stories to read from.
>Last semester, one of my professors read an example of what she called a "beautiful" abstract to an upcoming research paper. When she read it, it was my work. I didn't know what to say, but, I felt honored!
>when i get a good word from someone who *thinks* i'm a writer, maybe even a *good* writer, it lifts me for days. anything that happens to try and pop that bubble gets beaten back with, "yeah, well, i'm a writer!
~insert wind-flapping cape here~
>I cannot help but add a third best compliemnt EVER (in one week!!!), this time from my agent, who told me she is super impressed with my writing style and that I have beautiful writing. She's super smart, intense, and doesn't just say things like that, so I'm verklempt, indeed.
>What a lovely post with even lovelier comments! I think the best compliment I ever got was from a blog reader. I saved the email in my "nice emails" folder. It was from a total stranger who went into this whole story about this annoying bird that had been keeping him awake all night. I thought he was a crazy person at first and then he said:
"If it wasn't for that damn bird I wouldn't have stumbled upon your site, I would not have laughed, I would not now have a good reason to be up this very moment. You make me laugh. (In a totally fun-loving I enjoy your site kind of way.) Thanks."
Every time I read that email (which is a lot), it heals my writer's soul a little bit š
>At a recent meeting where I was doing a reading and was very uncomfortable sharing a certain section of my writing, I thought it best not to look up during that section. When I finished it, I looked up and 10 pairs of tear-filled eyes were looking at me and a couple of the women were wiping tears from their cheeks. They didn't have to say anything. The compliment was that my writing was able to touch these women.
>I joined a critique group in 2002–right after I began writing. Cec Murphey, our leader, gave an assigment to write a couple of paragraphs. He read my paper and said, "Did you know you have a flair for fiction?"
I had no clue. Cec's one sentence started dream/goal to become a novelist. Sandra Bishop is now my agent and I'm working hard on my second novel.
>Reading all these comments warms my heart and brings back good memories. We've all have disappointments and it's so got to read all these positive posts.
God bless us all.
>Hearing from so many readers with their wonderful comments has made me feel truly like I have something people love to read and it's humbling… I feel very lucky. I've had more than one person compare my character development to Stephen King, even though I don't write genre/horror, I took that has a great compliment.
A lit mag where I submitted a short story compared my writing to Eudora Welty. Talk about those two authors to be compared to being miles apart *laugh* !
Even as I write this, I'm finding it hard to hit "publish" – it's like tooting my horn -something I have to do a lot of already in this book biz…but it's still difficult. Here goes…erhghhurghh…
>A particular short story brought this comment from a writer I highly respect (which made it all the better): "You write like Harper Lee."
Okay. I'll take that.
>"Wow, what a strong voice!" This is the most gratifying compliment I've received about my writing. It came as feedback from a RWNZ Great Beginnings competition – made me glow.
>Wow. I can't really determine what the most "ground-breaking" complement was. It was awesome when both an author and her publisher commented on my writing in a review. As a 14 year old, I get comments telling me that I write well for my age, but I'm always excited when I get a compliment that has nothing to do with my age!
>This one, a comment about my YA fantasy novel 'Lethal Inheritance', really touched me…
'Wow! It's such an honor that you asked me to read this piece of art. To be honest, I've never read a first chapter that kept me on the edge of my seat like this one.'
and this
āI have read a lot of fantasy and I consider this outstanding. It is so exciting and surprising that I didnāt want to put it down.'
http://publishersearch.wordpress.com/lethal-inheritance/
>"How would you like your name written for your byline?"
>The best compliment(s) I have ever received, as a writer considering becoming an editor, were from the same person. He's a writer working with English, his second language, but his compliments just make me smile every time… Here are two of the best:
"Wow RD, amazing your observation, beautiful your skill. Make me think twice over my mistakes with no choice. Great editing stuff, Probably best that i had ever seem. You really had kind of skill which one great editor and writer should."
"dear I am on way to finish my book, i know without your help its just bunch of words. please have a glance over it and rectify my mistakes and faults. And please allen do reply, Because if i am musician then you are my lyrics and without you i cant make song or more preciously i cant able to compleate my book."
Everyone needs compliments like these. š
>From my local critique group: "There ought to be a law against writing that well."
From my online critique group: "That exchange between characters was electric."
Hope Clark
http://www.FundsforWriters.com
>Hate to end up at the end of this l-o-o-o-ng comment column, but had to give my compliments. It's always the same one: "I couldn't put your story down. Had to keep reading to find out what happened next."
It's nice to know what you have written engages people so strongly. I hope to keep that quality.
Neil
p.s.: Great photo; great cartoon! I saved it.
>This is an interesting question Rachelle, and I've enjoyed reading some of the answers. It's made me realize it's just as important to consider the source — who said the words — as much as the words themselves. Since words are so important to me (and all writers, of course), it's really hard to think of just one time words really impacted me in a complimentary way, a way that made me pause. But I will never forget the moment at a writers' conference when the person who was assigned to be the reader of my manuscript, a very well-respected children's author and editor, saw my name tag and said, "Oh, you're Roxane. I really liked your story." The words might not seem highly complimentary, but considering the source, they made a tremendous impact. At that moment, I felt closer than ever to getting a contract, and that turned out to be accurate.
>I was at a writer's conference last year and submitted a five-page sample for critique. I thoroughly researched the author who I was submitting to and read several of his books in preparation for the conference. The day started with an 8-hour workshop taught by this author on crafting a thriller. Then the critique sessions and social time.
He started out his comments with a statement that I was talented and a very good writer. Then he told me that the next three pages sucked and needed to go. He also told me that he felt more than once that he was directing the workshop instructions at me. The three pages? He was right. They have since been kicked to the curb.
The entire three day conference trip was worth it for that meeting.
Terri
http://www.whyifearclowns.com
>The greatest compliment my husband gave me about writing. He happened to sit down one night at my computer and started reading the draft of a story I was writing. He doesn't usually read nonfiction. I expected him to glance at it and go on to something else. He sat there for quite a while and actually read it. No criticism, no questions. Now has been bugging me to finish it so he can read the rest. š
>Back in university, I was having an incredibly tough semester because one class (Statistics) was monopolizing all my time and energy. The final project in another class (not a writing class, I should add) was a paper. I was so burnt out on technical/scientific writing that I just decided to write it the way I love to write and see what happened.
When I finished the in-class final and approached the professor to get my graded paper back, she pulled me aside and talked to me for quite a while. "Jess," she said to me, "I want you to know that this is, by far, the best paper I have ever read for this class. It was hilarious! I was laughing so hard as I read it that my husband came downstairs to see what was going on. You are a fabulous writer."
In that moment, I realized that no matter how terrible I am at Statistics, I am good at what I truly love. That compliment alone made that semester worth all the frustration and headaches, and that professor will go down in my personal history as the best teacher I've ever had. There are still times when I start to doubt my ability to write, and her words come back into my mind as clearly as if she were speaking them to me again. I only hope she knows how grateful I am.
>Correction in my above comment: My professor was holder of the Warner Chair in Journalism, not the Dan Rather Chair. (My excuse is that it's been nearly 10 years since I graduated.) š
>A month before I graduated college with my BA in print journalism (2001), my professor, who was also the Dan Rather Endowed Chair, surprised me with a gift, the book "Skipping Christmas" by John Grisham. (I was slated to graduate in December.)
Inside, she wrote, "Kathy, I'll never forget you or your stunning writing. I expect you to send me an autographed copy of your first book!"
I was 36 when I graduated, was in the middle of raising a family, and never thought about or wanted to write a book. At the time, my goal was to write features for a newspaper (which is exactly what I did).
It's only been within the last couple of years that I started thinking about writing a book and only within the last two months that I've actually started doing it. I wish I knew what my former professor was doing now. I know she'd motivate me even more. (Sigh plus smile.)
>I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I become intoxicated when I hear from an editor, agent or respected writer who offer up praise for some facet of my writing be it plot, character or prose.
However; the greatest encouragement by far is when readers share how God used my writing to bring them closer to Him. For me, there is no higher compliment.
>I've had a few compliments over the years from teachers and profs, but the best ones come from actual readers: I watched one gal cry as she read my piece in a major mag, and a total stranger (a friend of a friend who'd forwarded my ms. to her) read my novel in three parts, always asking for more, then saying, she "loved everything about it and thought it'd be a big hit." Too bad she's not an editor or agent…
>I blog a lot and my two most uplifting comments are these:
1. That made me laugh.
2. You inspired me…
>My cousin, who was a self-proclaimed "non-reader" once read a novel of mine in 2 days. She says that experience turned her into a "reader." Probably my proudest moment as a writer, ever, wow!!
>I've had a few compliments since then, but this one stands out. In college, I went up to my professor and spoke with him about my paper. I forgot what word he used, but I was so used to hearing criticism that I assumed that he was saying it was bad. As soon as I got back to my dorm, I thumbed through a dictionary to look up that word and found out it meant, "flawless."
>Your post reminded me of a time I wrote a suggestion on a Group discussion on LinkedIn and I received a response, "great idea – leave it to a professional writer." I had only recently struck out on my own and I loved hearing "professional" attached to my writing.
A more recent compliment came from a long-time client. I do quite a bit of ghostwriting for them. One of their senior executives said, "You do a really great job. I told everyone that I don't know how much work we give you, but we'd be crazy not to take advantage of your tremendous talent." Blushing, but I was bursting with feel-good feelings. š
Thanks for giving us an opportunity to relive the moment. Happy 4th!
>Yay for people who encourage us w/ compliments. I'm one of your blog fans, Rachelle. Not only is the writing great, but the topics are always uplifting and real. (And that picture is hilarious.)
My best compliments were both for my current MG boy book. My dear friend called it "a rockin little novel" and my sister read it in a day (while taking care of her sons; I guess she read some to them, too). She told me there were parts she couldn't believe I had written. Coming from family, that's as good as it gets!
>The agent who returned my first query letter rejection likened my novel to The Friday Night Knitting Club – except it wasn't ready yet. š Even though it was a rejection, I was on a cloud for days. It was the nicest thing anyone has said to me!
>Rachelle,
I love your writing and have often wondered what project is on YOUR heart! You are always working so hard for others.
The best compliment I have received is "Your book changed my life" or "set me free from the pain of my past".
What more could a writer ask for??
Blessings and Happy 4th!
Pat
BTW…I love your new photo also!
>This is one of the best reader comments I've received:
After a day of traveling home from vacation…at 10:20 p.m. I started to read The fifth
Category. At 11:00 p.m., I put the book down to retire. But my interest was piqued.
At midnight I set the clock for morning. But here it is 3:10 a.m. and I've just FINISHED
the book. I've been up since 5:30 a.m., but is was mandatory I finish!
>Two best compliments I've ever received have been comparisons. My editor compared me to Laini Taylor, and my critique partner compared me to Neil Gaiman. Every time I think of those comparisons, I giggle, and then push myself to earn them š
>I like it when editors are surprised by my work. Even if I don't get an acceptance, if an editor says, "Wow, this is really great, not quite right for us now, but do send us more," that spurs me on to really research what is right for them. I like the challenge of being "close but not quite". Helps me not get a big head.
Of course, my first official acceptance into a literary journal was a nice complement, too.
And, I can't forget, my mom always complements my writing by reminding me that "The Refrigerator" was my first ever publication. š
Great post! I like thinking positively!
>Years ago, I worked as a sports writer at a small newspaper in a suburb of Detroit. Each spring, I would write and publish a preview section in the paper, profiling all of the suburb's high school teams. As part of that package, I would write a long feature story about an athlete or someone connected to the program. One year, I wrote the feature about a gentleman who lovingly manicured the baseball's team's field. It was his baby. Someone from his family sent a copy of the article to his sister in Maine. Some weeks later, I received a hand written note from the sister saying how touched she was by her brother's story, the way that I wrote it. That felt pretty damn good.
>Senior year of high school, Mrs. Wright, my absoutely brutal english teacher said, "Well done, Mr. Thoreau." She simply did not pass out compliments liberally.
Obviously, my work/essay *did not* compare, but Civil Disobedience struck a chord with me.
I remember it 15 years later as I revise my first ms–enough said.
š
>Two compliments:
An online friend read a blog post about encountering God, and she said she now wondered if God was trying to get her attention…
An agent read the first 3 chapters of my novel (at my request, just as an evaluation) and he said that I have "impressive" storytelling skills. (Just wish my marketing skills were as impressive.)
>There are three that I remember most. The first was from the editor who thought my picture book was fun, funny, and appealing. Even though the editorial board didn't buy it after revisions, that still gave me a great morale boost.
The second was recently when a Highlights editor sent me a note to say that even though I didn't win, they'd like to see more of my writing.
The third was when a member of my writing group read my work-in-progress submission to her son, and they were disappointed when there wasn't more to it than the first chapter. It made me feel like I was on the right track.
Writing can be a lonely pursuit. You have to keep going because of you rather than because of the affirmation of others, but it still feels nice when you know that someone enjoyed something that you wrote!
>What a great friend you have! That is nice to hear. š
My college creative writing professor told me my writing was a gem; she said the shine was there, and it just needed a little more polish! That made me really happy. I knew I had improved and was continuing to improve, and that's all I can ask for!
My friends and family always come to me for editing and proofreading anything they need: wedding invitations, websites, professional emails, etc.. It makes me feel good that they trust my work!
I've loved reading some of these comments. I'm happy so many of us have received positive feedback and encouragement!
>The first compliment that really wowed and surprised me came from someone in RWA that was judging my entry for a contest: "If this is what Christian fiction is, then I'm going to start reading it." that brought a smile.
The second was my acquiring editor who said 15 readers loved it and said it was a page turner. That knocked my socks off!
And more recently when RG read through the ms. and said, "I loved it all the way through." Another big smile.
Thanks for asking that question Rachelle. I feel more confident today because of it.
>Mine came yesterday, from my former editor. It meant so much, because she has made my work better.
>I have to cite two very different compliments.
1) A critique partner told me my first novel had helped her work through a similar, pretty serious problem in her own life. Even if that book is never published, it's done its job.
2) A friend classed me with Annie Dillard. That one I am completely unable to believe, but it was still lovely to hear it.
>Yes, Rachelle, you are a writer! I love your voice.
Two favorites. I went to my first conference this month and paid for a first-five-pages critique by a PhD editor who has worked in the field for many years. He marked my pages up a bit, including the very first sentence in my book as grammatically incorrect, which he said I simply couldn't keep like that. I argued that it was grammatically incorrect because that's how the protagonist thinks. He said it didn't matter, I couldn't get away with that in the first sentence. Sigh.
After talking to him and thanking him for all the critiques, I turned over the last page and saw he'd written a small paragraph, in which he described my writing as "gritty" and "honest" and said I have a "journalistic style" that makes my characters and setting "come to life." He also said, "You are gifted." I was shocked! And giddy. š
The other one, which might still be my favorite writing compliment: my mother, who doesn't read fiction because she just doesn't suspend disbelief or relate to things that haven't happened to her personally, texted me while reading my novel's climax: "I'm crying my eyes out." I had to text her back: "Wait, literally?" Her: "Yes, literally, I can see it all happening and I feel so bad for him." That was an amazing compliment even though it wasn't necessarily meant as one.
>During the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, an Amazon vine reviewer left the following quote for my excerpt;
"LOVED this excerpt. I think it is the most creative, original and has the best potential for a bestseller of any of the excerpts I've read thus far (I'm over half through them.) I think if it is marketed correctly and continues in the same vein as it has started, this book will be a phenomenon."
I was pretty psyched.
>My aunt commented on a flash fiction piece I had done and told me "You're sick!" I love that I evoked that kind of emotion from her!
>I sent queries out to several agents some time ago. One of the responses I received said something along the lines of "Not for me, but I'm sure you'll find an agent." In that case, I didn't accept it. I dismissed it as just a form rejection. I suspect that agents and contest judges have an easier time complimenting work that they don't actually have to stand behind and use that as a means of getting past feeling bad about rejecting the work.
>My first books were devotional books that ended up with "gift book" labels because they contained photo-illustrations. Because so many gift books at the time were greeting cards on steroids, there wasn't much recognition that the content was of substance or value at all.
The highest compliment I received was when a 40-something man (not exactly the intended audience!) read them and told me "Your books made me realize that there's been something missing in my life. I want to get closer to God."
Mary Pielenz Hampton
>When my first book was published (literary non-fiction)…
I knew I was a "good" writer in the technical sense (good grammar and spelling, well organized, etc…) but I had really struggled with the more "creative" aspect of it: trying to make it literary, but without going overboard with adjectives and metaphors and all that… Trying hard, but trying to make it look like I wasn't trying too hard, you know?
A reviewer from a national newspaper said "…and her flowing narrative blends history, science and tradition."
That phrase "flowing narrative" just did it for me!
>Good morning, Rachelle;
What a wonderful way to end the week. I love reading about the compliments other writers receive. Thank you for this opportunity to share.
I published Changing Me, Change the World through WestBow Press in January. Uncertainty and insecurity plagued me over my decision to publish the book through this channel. As I prayed, I told God that if just one reader were blessed by the book, I would be content with my decision.
Only a few weeks after this prayer, I received my first fan message. It contained this paragraph:
"So, I'm hitting you with a load of questions. My primary purpose, however, is to greatly affirm your writing gift, and to hopefully be used by the Lord to fan the flame of this project with the desired result that the day will come (sooner rather than later) when all 150 Psalms will be covered by your excellent ability to craft prayers that I can use to show the people I train around the world the beauty of using the Psalms as a guide for our daily prayers. I have never found a resource that so perfectly meets this need for me, as does your book."
God's response to my request for affirmation continues to amaze me. I asked for an inch. He gave me a world.
I have no regrets looking back and no fears looking forward.
Be blessed,
Lynnda
>Has to be from my husband. I was doubting my ability to be a writer, and he said, "I have no doubt you can write just as good, and even better than any published Christian author."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because your writing comes so easily to you."
"But it's not as good as what I'm reading out there."
"Maybe not yet. But it can be."
If that's not a motivator to press on, I don't know what is.
>All of the compliments I've had stand out in my mind because they're precious to my fragile writer's ego. š
Certain ones stand out more though, because they pushed me in a direction.
The one that always sticks in my mind was from the harlequin critique service. It was my first novel, had gotten rejections and I knew I needed help.
The crit was awesome and pushed my story in a new direction, but I'd thought of just shelving it until I came to the end of the crit. The critiquer wrote:
"To conclude, I want to stress that you have written a beautiful and intriguing novel."
I TREASURE those words. They're want prompted me to requery my reworked story.
Thanks for opening this up! I think you're a great writer too.
š
>One of my online/serial novels got a cursing email from a reader, "I had to stay up until 3:00 [in the morning] to finish it."
>My husband –Mr. Emotionless– (lol) cried when I read him one of my stories.
>Apparently, they feel better after reading what I write. Mind you, they say the same thing after talking on the phone or chatting on-line. Something about my unique look on things.
In other words, I'm weird.
Hahaha
Anita.
>The best compliment I got was when someone said they were thinking about my story all day. And then they even dreamed about it.
>My favorite compliment?
"You write like a professional!"
LOL
>My tenth grade English teacher. In response to a short story I submitted for class, he told me my dialogue was so good and so believable that I should consider becoming a playwright.
>Not sure how old I was, but I once wrote a middle-grade novel inspired by a book that both my friend and I had read (and I had loved; I don't remember what she thought of it). She told me mine was better. *squee*
And, honestly, FanFiction messages asking for my one-shot to become an actual story – that kinda does make my day!
>The judge's comment when I won Writer of the Year at Write-to-Publish last year:
The winner of the Writer of the Year award truly satisfies the readerās cry, āTake me there.ā
>When I was fresh out of high school I spent my days working retail. I started writing daily letters to my various friends who had gone off to college. One friend told me, "I love reading your letters. It's like I can hear you speaking to me."
A few years later I wrote an article for the DC City Paper on the city's first Doggie Boutique. I led off, and closed with, a doggie wedding the shop's owner put on . I mailed a copy to my former college writing professor who wrote back to say how impressed he was with the writing and my respectful tone. I hadn't done the easy thing, which would have been to go overboard with absurdity.
At a local writers expo, I sat in on a session on Fantasy writing. I asked a few questions to a guy I'd never heard of before, but who I liked instantly. When he asked me if I was a writer I responded, "Well, I'm getting a lot of rejection notices." That's when Charles de Lint told me, "Then you're a writer."
…
>Thanks for stimulating such great memories. Two stand out for me,
One, came in a rejection letter from Agent Jim McCarthy, "you are clearly a talented story teller" THAT one carried me for a long time.
The other, from a MAN, a business acquaintance, after he read my Romantic Suspense… "I don't read romance. Ever. But I sat in that chair for seven straight hours because I couldn't put this down."
yum.
Kathy.
>My favorite compliment is always the potentially-backhanded: "I can't believe YOU wrote that." It raises so many interesting follow-up questions. š
But my second favorite is when readers tell me vehemently that they want to beat up my antagonist.
>"I would have read your book anyway, because you're my friend… But I totally forgot I was reading a book by a person I knew, and found myself just wanting to know what was going to happen to the characters…"
>My beloved Miss Snark once told me "you're a good writer."
That comment sustained and encouraged me to keep writing and trying through some black and bitter times.
My first novel was out this Monday to wonderful reviews!
>When I was younger and thought I wanted to write category romance, I had a Harlequin editor once write to me that my book had "that small-town sparkle." The end of that rejection letter invited me to submit any other manuscripts I had. Of course, back then we didn't have lovely agent blogs to tell us that's a good sign, and so I just figured she was being nice and didn't submit anything else. Oops!
But maybe the best compliment I've gotten comes from my college roommate, who is the only person who has read every major piece I've written since I was 19. When she read my last ms, her first reaction to one of my main characters was, "She is the best character you've ever written! I love her!" But more than that, I think the best compliment she's given me is her enthusiasm about talking with me about my work. Constantly. š
>The last short story I sent to my critique group got the following comment: "I started to underline everything I loved about this, but I stopped 'cause I realized I'd just be underlining the whole thing."
From the same meeting: "The only thing I might do is break up some of these long sentences. But really there's only one I'd fight for. C'mon, throw me a bone, here!"
I was pretty happy with that story. š
>I had paid for a critique by an author who writes in my genre. When I saw her in person for the first time at a conference, I knew I was doomed. She was a woman in charge. A woman who got down to business and would not mince words.
I anticipated a completely marked up critique, with her telling me I should look elsewhere for a dream. Prepared to be brave and civil and not cry, I sat in a chair and waited while she took care of business with someone else.
When she handed me the critique, there were two minor comments. My initial thought was that she had decided it wasn't even worth more of her time to work on. Heavy sigh.
"When you're finished with this, I want you to send it to my agent."
Wow. But she deserved to know the truth.
"I did submit to him a couple of years ago, and received a rejection."
"That was then and this is now."
I love those words and roll them over in my head every now and then.
Thanks, Rachelle. It's been nice thinking good thoughts for a change.
>I took a creative writing class in college even thought it wasn't on my checksheet. It was an online course designed around a forum. We each had to post our writing to the board for group critique. The professor never really commented publicly. We received feedback through private email.
After we turned in one particular assignment, I noticed he'd commented on the forum in response to my writing. I was pee-my-pants afraid he was going to rip it apart and use it as a learning tool for others. I was sure I was right when his message said, "What are you doing in this class?" That was it.
I was mortified. I mean, you have to be a pretty tragically bad writer if the professor is angling to pitch you out of an elective creative writing class.
I obsessively refreshed the page, expecting the rest of the class to react to the comment as sharks would to blood in the water. Jump into ripping me apart because the professor had opened the gate. A few minutes later, the professor posted again, this time with the name and contact information of an editor at a magazine he'd freelanced for several times. Under the information was, once again, a short comment. "You're publishable, Miss Coleman. You need an intro to creative writing class in much the same way P. Manning needs an intro to football class."
Okay, I had to look up Peyton Manning. But once I understood, I cried.
>I've been blessed to receive genuine encouragement all my life starting in grade school. It's good to remember those encouragements because novel writers can beat themselves up over that long, long writing process (at least that's been my experience).
Best compliment was when someone critted a manuscript for me and told me a particular scene was one of the most touching scenes they'd ever read.
>I took several poetry writing workshops when working on my master's degree. At the end of one, when I got my critique and grade back on my final portfolio, my professor complimented me profusely on how far my skills had come in the course of the time he'd known me. That just tickled me pink because I was so rough when I started that first poetry workshop. Now I have a bit more confidence in my skills and have been working on several different poetry collections, something I never saw myself doing. I know poetry is a very difficult genre to make money in but I never saw it that way. I just write it for pleasure and the joy of creating.
>When someone writes to tell me that they sobbed over something I wrote about my late daughter, in a bitter-sweet way that is a huge compliment.
>From one of the leaders in a critique group after reading an excerpt: "Wow, I absolutely love your writing style; you have a great voice."
>First, I must say that I love the picture.
The best compliment I have gotten on my writing was actaully quite simple.
It was regarding a persuasive speech I had just given.
Afterwards a girl came up to me and said "You know, you really have a way with words. You made me completley rethink my stance on this issue."
It just rocked my world at a moment when I really needed that bit of confidence.
>I sent a letter to the editor to the publisher of a major horse racing magazine and they contacted me a few weeks later and asked if I wanted a job writing full-time for them. I worked for them 17 years.
One of the stories I wrote for the magazine was nominated for a Sprint award by a reader.
That same story was evidently posted on the bulletin boards of every QH racetrack in the country.
I decided to go to college late in life and I took some English classes. I didn't receive my grade for one of my assignments and asked the professor about it. He said, "Did you have to ask? You got an A." When I expressed surprise he said it was a no-brainer for him as he had never cried while reading an assignment.
The compliments get you through the touch times when you wonder why you write.
>When I met with a conference faculty member (an accomplished author), she read one of my sample chapters. As she read, she smiled and even laughed a couple of times (the good kind of laugh!). When she finished she told me it was well written with an easy good style — felt like a warm bath.
As I walked away from our meeting, I nearly sprouted wings and flew š Can't tell you how encouraging and affirming that meeting was. And yes, I sent her a thank you note after the conference!
>I just received a couple yesterday that made me tear up. One was from an Atlanta journalist who tweeted (in reference to my newspaper columns), "Sorrells has a real talent for finding insight in the ordinary." And a dear blog follower wrote, "Your posts are always so heartfelt, Amy, and your words so very comforting. I find peace and sense of security in your lessons."
I'm amazed and my knees buckle with gratitude when non-Christian writers compliment me, too. Recently a Jewish writer commented on my blog how much she enjoyed my blog on the use of prayer boxes. And an atheist friend (from gradeschool!) said my blog is one of her very favorites.
It's stuff like that that keeps me going and makes my heart nearly burst with gratitude that God allows me the privilege of writing for Him.
Thanks for reminding us of the importance of carrying such things close to our hearts, Rachelle.
And, by the way, I agree–you ARE a writer! š
>the comments that mean the most to me is when I have touched upon an issue that someone is currently struggled with and offered some hope. I try to keep it real with my blog….and I share the good, the bad and sometimes, the real ugly.
another great compliment is when bloggers that I really admire take the time to tell me they enjoy what I have shared. Means alot to me.
>From a critter: "You are obviously a very talented writer."
What I liked about it is the adverb–you know…the word we're not supposed to overuse. š It was like she was telling me something I should already know and really just mentioning it was frivolous. Only thing, I often wonder if I have any talent at all. The fact she said anything positive about my skills as a writer blew me out of the water. It filled a hole which had been chipped out by rejection.
>I keep two handy for when I get the mullie-gullies. One from family and one from a publishing professional.
FROM MY SISTER: I'm so glad Paul's out fishing and the girls are both still sleeping — because I've been sobbing nonstop. I just finished your book. Words can't quite relay all the emotions it stirred in me.
FROM RACHELLE GARDNER! (as part of a webinar critique of pages) I started reading and was immediately engaged. Such a strong and compelling voice, and what a story! I wanted to keep hanging out with Cissy. You are clearly a wonderful writer.
>My best compliment from a stranger-
"You're real.
I feel as if I know you and I'm right there with you when I read your articles."
>It's the compliments sometimes that hit us at just the right moment and keep our dream alive. The most profound for me though was my 12th grade English writing teacher (or rather the student intern working with him) who handed back a paper I wrote on Faith and said I really needed to get it published. I always told myself that she was more intrigued by the concept comparison I had made than the writing, but over the years I've had numerous friends and strangers compliment me on my voice. So maybe there's something there in my writing that allows others to connect on a deeper level. I would like to think so anyway. š
Oh! And a compliment from my husband who read a scene from my book and said "Send it. Right now! This is what you'll use to get an agent." I was so tickled that he enjoyed it that I can't help but persist in achieving my dream.
>I have two that I hold on to when I decide I can't do this anymore.
One is from my very best friend in the world. After reading my first manuscript, she said, "I kept forgetting it was YOU writing."
The other is from a friend of a friend. She said, "I stayed up as late as I could reading it because I couldn't put it down. I fell asleep and when I woke up I finished it before I got out of bed because I had to know what happened."
>I write scripts for the preschool department at my church. a few times the Director of preschool ministries has emailed me that my writings have been a blessing and have allowed others to discover their gift of storytelling. My published friends say I have a gift.
It's nice to have these compliments to look back to when the journey gets discouraging.
>I'll share the most recent compliment I've received: I shared an (as yet unpublished) article with a friend, and she said it spoke to her soul. That meant the world to me.
(Now if I could just get the editor who currently has it to call me back!!!)
>I definitely have a favorite compliment. A Spanish professor pulled me aside after passing back essays and asked me how I'd learned to write so well in Spanish. That meant a lot to me because, in the upper level classes, I was faced with a majority of native speakers as fellow students. I was very insecure. It's amazing how one uplifting compliment goes a long way. We should all remember that. False compliments don't mean much, but encouraging someone with the truth means the world.
>The best compliment was your phone call after you'd read WOBG, and you told me you "got" it.
>A male prisoner said he pulled one of my books out of the prison trash can and read it because he didn't have anything else to do. Then he fell in love with my heroine (it was a romance) because she was "hot." I was mostly flattered that he took the time to write a fan letter. Pulling the book out of the prison trash? Um…not so much. š
>I read the first draft of chapter 1 to my cousin who had never before seen my writing.
I was hoping to start up a writing partnership with him, and was quite nervous. I read him the first chapter only, 'cause I was afraid of overloading him with crap.
At the end, he said "That's amazing! Keep reading."
So I pulled out chapter 2. And 3. He loved it. It felt really good.
Just last night as well, one of my friends came over. She always asks me about my book and how it's going. Which is just as helpful as it is encouraging because it keeps me at it, knowing she's going to ask.
>I had an editor say about my poetry gift book: "I've reread your proposal…and can say with clear mind and conscience that it isn't something that fits our plan. However, I must say that your writing is very, very good. I do hope you will continue submitting to the ocean of publishing houses out there. …Keep writing, sir! You are very good!"
>The year I took first place in the ACFW Genesis contest (Contemporary Fiction), one of the first-round judges said my first chapter pulled them in so well that they forgot they were judging. The only complaint that judge had was that the entry ended and they wanted to read what happened next!
Just like saying "sic 'em" to a dog.
D.
>Should be "read"…sigh.
>I've had a few people who have ready my work tell me I have a beautiful family.
>When I was in fifth grade, my teacher, Mrs. J, told me to dedicate my first book to her.
I have never forgotten that. And I will.
>What Susan said, about how much the sympathy card she wrote meant to the mother who lost a child, touched me deeply. I truly believe that for so many of us, the most important, life-changing, and appreciated words we've ever composed will be those found in someone's dresser drawer many years from now. Susan, bless you for writing those words.
>Shortly after I released my debut novella, I got a comment from another writing friend that she was late to work because she had to know what happened in the story. I thought that was the most awesome compliment of all!
>This might sound silly, but it was a compliment I received on FictionPress. And it was fantastic. The very last line of fabulosity read: Thank you for the entertainment you have provided and restoring my faith in the writers on this site.
That just made me feel SO amazing. Especially since it's a story I haven't touched in years, though it's one I'm in love with.
Actually, if any writer needs an ego boost, FictionPress is awesome.
>After reading my third novel, A Cruel Legacy, the reader said she was very upset that the novel ended. She loved the characters and the story so much she wanted more. I cried. After a compliment like that, who wouldn't?
>Before I forget – LOVE the new photo you posted…beautiful!
The best compliment and the ones I cherish most is when a beta reader or critiquer finishes my latest project and is dying for more. That's the best compliment I think a writer can have…especially when you didn't plan for a sequel!
Have a happy and safe holiday!
>Two or three of my readers told me they got so engrossed in the story that they forgot I was the author. And most of my readers cried.
Of course, I hope it's published someday. But it's gratifying to have had even this bit of "success."
Oh, and one more — at a writing conference, an agent read over my first paragraphs and exclaimed, "You show, don't tell!"
>A mother, who had lost her teenage child to a seizure from a long term case of severe epilepsy received a sympathy card from me. She later told my mother-in-law that the words I wrote meant so much to her during her time of despair.
That was 20 years ago and I don't feel anything I've written since can compare to what I wrote to that mother at the saddest time of her life.
I think we forget at times, how powerful words from the heart can be, especially at a time of great need.
>You ARE a great writer, Rachelle. A nice combination of smooth and witty without flowery fluff. Just my style. I'd be happy to rep a book of yours someday. š
>It is really hard for me to accept/believe compliments related to my writing, but one comes to mind because the lady who wrote it is one of my favorite authors. I'd written this in a blog post about how it felt to give my only daughter in marriage:
āYouāre stunned by the fragility of the falling petals strewn in the aisle, petals you want to gather back into virgin rosebuds as if they are your own lifeās spent heartbeats.ā
And my author friend said this in the comments: "That may be one of the most beautiful sentences Iāve ever read."
It's hard to quantify how much her words meant to me….Great post, Rachelle. You give us hope!
>I TOTALLY agree! We need good tough constructive criticism, however the complements along the way are needed too!!
Most recently, on a contest I finaled in (my first, WOOHOO!) one of the judges wrote something to the effect, "Iām glad that I finaled in last yearās contest because I suspect my entry would have been beaten by this one." and "I really hope you final with this entry because it was by far and away the best of the ones that I judged."
Now, I really doubt that is the truth, however it made me FEEL giddy with excitement. And, that same MS got torn up in another contest so who knows, ha! I think that is the way God keeps us humble:-)
>Does anybody else find that picture hilarious? I think I'm slightly delirious, because I honestly laughed out loud.
Best compliment ever received…..
That's tough! Here's my tie:
A judge in a contest I entered said I would be a "powerhouse novelist". Very flattering.
My stepmom's mom reads my books (she's 86) and when she finished Wishing on Willows, she wrote me this old-school hand-written letter and her last line was, "I didn't think you could top Bethany's story, but Robin's story touched my heart more."
I took that compliment to heart big time, since I want every novel I write to be a little bit better than the last one.
>2 things come to mind…
#1 – I know Don Miller (the Christian author) just a little (i did his fan website for him for years), and I was having a rough stretch a few months ago when out of the blue he responded to an old email of mine and gave me some encouragement, telling me I was bright and funny. I know it shouldn't matter more that it was coming from him, but it did. so that was nice.
#2 – But my favorite compliment of all is when someone is reading my blog and spits coffee out on their computer from laughing unexpectedly. I get that comment only a few times a year, but THAT is my favorite.
>Yes I have gotten compliments on my writing. And it makes it easier to take critiques because I want to grow. I don't want to be content with the at the good writer stage.
>"You're the least worst novelist I know."
Thanks heaps.
>I frequently get e-mails from people whoāve read something Iāve written online and found that it helped them in some way. I love getting those because these strangers are under no obligation to write me at all, but something I said motivated them to fire off an e-mail thanking me for it.
But my favorite compliment came shortly after Searching For Mom came out. I was discussing the book with this particular reader and she said, āYou know that part where Sara is riding on her bicycle?ā I said I did. āWhen I was read that,ā she said, āIt made me feel cold and it was ninety degrees outside.ā I figured if the temperature of the scene came across that clearly then I must have done something right.
I received a similar compliment concerning For the Love of a Devil, but at first it came across as a criticism. The reader said, āThose first four chapters are really hard to read.ā At that point, Iām thinking the reader is talking about sentence structure or finds those chapters boring. I ask for clarification. After the reader explains, I realize that what the reader finds hard is the same thing the protagonist finds hard. As you are aware, For the Love of a Devil is about a man whose wife leaves him and heāll do whatever it takes to get her to come home. Thereās no way around it, itās a hard story and if that makes sections of the book āhard to read,ā then I see that as a compliment.
>A friend who had read my first draft read my fourth and asked if someone had done it – cause it was so different and BETTER!!
>In high school, my creative wrriting teacher — a Doctor, no less — kept telling me to go to writer's conferences, that I absolutely had to make a living as a writer, and that the work proved above the level of a lot of professionals of the time. So now here I am still struggling because a bunch of pig-headed motherf***ers are having to slog through a bunch of crap-mongers before — oops, positive — right … that was a nice six-month-long tirade of compliments. And now here's the annoying smiley-face š
>My cousin read my manuscript and says he can't wait for the second book. He only reads Terry Pratchett and plays EVE Online (space game), so it was a great compliment.
>The best compliment on my writing came when I was in a playwriting course in college taught by one of the English faculty. We had the opportunity to perform some of our scenes for a small audience of faculty and students.
Afterward, the theater director on campus came up to me to tell me she enjoyed my scene. I didn't know her very well, but that compliment mattered to me a lot. She was a college theater director! She knew what she was talking about, and she specifically sought me out to tell me she liked my scene? I definitely floated through my classes the next week.
>I don't dare tell the best compliment; and I really hesitate to say this:
A man in a unique position of knowledge concerning the daily coversations of many who are considered the world's most important people; called my forthcoming book THE BOOK for America in these present days.
Of course it encouraged me enormously.
However, I'm even more encouraged when an average American man read some of my writing, and awoke his family at 4a.m. to tell them he just cannot wait til morning to tell them he is repenting.
>Haha, in a rejection email from a magazine editor, she explained that she wasn't quite on board with my story's ending, but she was sad to decline because it contained "some breathtaking writing."
Maybe she was trying to be nice, but she COULD have sent a form rejection instead, and I choose to believe she meant the compliment! =D Heck, I can improve plot.
>Senior year of high school, Mrs. Wright, my absoutely brutal english teacher said, "Well done, Mr. Thoreau." She simply did not pass out compliments liberally.
Obviously, my work essay compare, but Civil Disobedience struck a chord with me.
I remember it 15 years later as I revise my first ms–enough said.
>I read novel number two to my husband the other night and he laughed so hard at something I'd written that he was wiping away tears.