Tried contacting an author for a simple question. He was unpleasant in his response. I read 49 books authored by Stuart Woods before he ticked me off. In one of his books, he listed my hometown in the story. Seeing as it was an area which I thought no one knew existed, I was curious how he knew about it. I sent him an email and he sent back a snarky response. And I still don't know how he knew that town.
I have been ignored by many authors when I reached out. But the worst pain an author ever caused me was at a reading is Spokane. She was my favorite writer at that time, and my wife and I brought her books for her to sign, one for both of us, and one for our daughter, whom we'd lost. The author was so cold, so lacking in compassion, I've never been able to read her work again. Not an ounce of empathy. I can still feel that snub like it happened today.
But listen, I have to own my part in that outcome. I gave, vulnerably of myself, and had the illusion that my intimate knowledge of the author was mutual. That happens with public figures. They are familiar to us, but we are strangers to them. They know nothing about us, and they hear thousands of similar stories yearly.
So my expectations were unfair and the outcome was a result of my failure to understand how such an intense request would impact a stranger. It still hurt, but I'm responsible, and so I have to accept that.
Since then, I've had dozens of amazing interactions with authors and dozens of poor ones. It's part of the process. I accept it and accept that my personality and approach aren't going to be right for everyone.
After he snubbed me, I never went back to reading his books. They started to get to be stuff that wouldn't happen in real life anyway. At first I thought I read all these books for nothing but then I thought about it more and I know I wouldn't be a writer today if it wasn't for reading his books. In the back of his books, he says if you have an idea for a book, don't tell him, write it yourself.
So that is how I started writing. I had dreamed up stories since I was a kid. I had done some writing in college but not in-depth. Although I've never published any fiction yet, I started writing and couldn't stop. I have a few projects ranging from 15,000 to 50,000 words. If I can ever find time to get back to them, I'll see about finishing them. Then I started my Substack and my non-fiction took off.
My favorite business person says in every book, podcast, radio interview, and YouTube video, "I create time." Leaning into that, defining it for me, changed everything for me.
Tried contacting an author for a simple question. He was unpleasant in his response. I read 49 books authored by Stuart Woods before he ticked me off. In one of his books, he listed my hometown in the story. Seeing as it was an area which I thought no one knew existed, I was curious how he knew about it. I sent him an email and he sent back a snarky response. And I still don't know how he knew that town.
I have been ignored by many authors when I reached out. But the worst pain an author ever caused me was at a reading is Spokane. She was my favorite writer at that time, and my wife and I brought her books for her to sign, one for both of us, and one for our daughter, whom we'd lost. The author was so cold, so lacking in compassion, I've never been able to read her work again. Not an ounce of empathy. I can still feel that snub like it happened today.
But listen, I have to own my part in that outcome. I gave, vulnerably of myself, and had the illusion that my intimate knowledge of the author was mutual. That happens with public figures. They are familiar to us, but we are strangers to them. They know nothing about us, and they hear thousands of similar stories yearly.
So my expectations were unfair and the outcome was a result of my failure to understand how such an intense request would impact a stranger. It still hurt, but I'm responsible, and so I have to accept that.
Since then, I've had dozens of amazing interactions with authors and dozens of poor ones. It's part of the process. I accept it and accept that my personality and approach aren't going to be right for everyone.
That's too bad. Sorry for your loss.
After he snubbed me, I never went back to reading his books. They started to get to be stuff that wouldn't happen in real life anyway. At first I thought I read all these books for nothing but then I thought about it more and I know I wouldn't be a writer today if it wasn't for reading his books. In the back of his books, he says if you have an idea for a book, don't tell him, write it yourself.
So that is how I started writing. I had dreamed up stories since I was a kid. I had done some writing in college but not in-depth. Although I've never published any fiction yet, I started writing and couldn't stop. I have a few projects ranging from 15,000 to 50,000 words. If I can ever find time to get back to them, I'll see about finishing them. Then I started my Substack and my non-fiction took off.
My favorite business person says in every book, podcast, radio interview, and YouTube video, "I create time." Leaning into that, defining it for me, changed everything for me.
Did you get my email on 10/26 @ 3:28 EST?
I'm surprised Franzen helped Zink, let alone communicated with her. He’s not exactly known for kindness and is despised by many female authors.
The fact that he did proves you really never know who might stick their neck out for you if you put yourself out there.
That’s a good point. It’s best to treat allegations with skepticism until proven, and it’s great to show kindness and optimism to everyone.