Copyright © 2007 Carlos Fonseca via Flickr,
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I was just posting a comment over on JM Tohline’s blog when a thought hit me… maybe “hit” is the wrong word. It was more like catching a glimpse of light farther down a misty road as a soft breeze swirls away the haze for only a moment. Things don’t really hit me so much when my brain is shrouded in fog and wrapped in cotton. Can it be both?
I digress.
Bridges.
Before I clicked “post” on Tohline’s site I wondered, as I often do, if an up-and-coming author is even interested in my comments. Why would they want to read what I write? What if they don’t? And if they don’t, what if someday sooner-then-later I become a well known author? Will they want to hear what I say then? Will they be disappointed that they didn’t strike up a relationship with me sooner?
But before I could pat my future self on the back and picture a whole Pretty-Woman-suck-this! moment (the shopping scene, btw… nothing else!), another thought struck me… Who am I discounting because they may not have a book deal yet? Who am I overlooking? What relationships am I not creating based on silly judgements of worth?
Shame on me.
Bridges built on greed and selfishness are bridges made of paper–quickly forged, lacking substance, and easily set on fire. I don’t want those bridges. I want strong bridges that endure with people who, regardless of perceived success or failure, are teaching and ispiring me to be a better writer and person. For me this means looking for meaningful connections. It means giving more than I receive (when possible). And it means blogging, tweeting, facebooking, and writing with honesty and with the intent to create relationships, not numbers.
You probably already figured that out. It just took me awhile. And I’ll definitely need to remind myself of it again in the future.
Happy writing,
~Deb
