Writing Makes You Brave:
Writing may also give you deer-in-the-headlights eyes.
By Thio Isobel Moss
An author without readers is just a lonely daydreamer. I have spent my life daydreaming, occasionally sharing wild stories on overnight trips, with college friends, or just to myself before sleep. And I have often been lonely.
Writing down these dreams, committing them to paper for others to read, has long been terrifying. It’s inviting the world into my mind and allowing people to comment on what they find. Sometimes they’re kind, often they’re mixed, and occasionally they’re not-so-nice.
The real gauntlet, however, is when the people who inhabit my day-to-day life read my book. Did I use too many curse words? Is it too violent? Too sexy?
I once read a book description that ended with a warning to the author’s family not read the book.
Well…
Several ladies of my acquaintance have very sweetly undertaken to read my book, and it scares the absolute crap out of me. For all I know, they binge on TV shows and books that are much worse, but it’s different when you know the source. It’s different for me, too, than if a complete stranger reads the book and comments on it.
And comments have now been made.
My mother’s friend, Marguerite, is a stylish, social woman who likes her bling. If we can’t find her after church, we just look for the largest group and the sparkliest spot — that is our Marguerite.
She was excited to read my book and took it to Chicago with her over the holidays. Unfortunately, she thought she lost her copy, so I gave her a second one. She found the first in her luggage — and gave the second to her therapist friend, who has apparently lived in a haunted house.
Marguerite is one hundred pages deep and reported her thoughts last Sunday: my book is weird, but appealing. I, too, am weird.
I agreed. Being weird was hard in school, but I’ve grown into it now. She thought that was hilarious.
Then there is my Aunt Pam. I love Aunt Pam; she may possibly be the sweetest woman alive. She, too, is religious and holds stricter views than I. She ordered a paperback before I knew she had any interest in reading Blind Spot. I spent two days in knots over this because I know there are things in my book she will not like. Telling my mom to skip a scene because it would give her nightmares was hard enough! Aunt Pam is an entirely different kettle of fish.
I don’t know if she’s received the copy yet, but I do know she has four people lined up to borrow it afterward. I’m waiting to see if I can ever go back to the town I was born in, or if they’ll run me out on a rail.
Returning to church last Sunday, beautiful Cora — one half of a retired missionary couple — snuck over to talk to me before the lesson. Cora has a face that would make her a perfect model for the Madonna. She is lovely, graceful, compassionate… and she wants to read Blind Spot.
Now, with Marguerite, I know some of what she likes. She reads Stephen King. Cora — I have no idea. I told her the book is urban fantasy, with vampires and werewolves. She said that as a girl, she loved books like that. The conversation then turned to trends in genres and Nancy Drew mysteries. I’ll be giving Cora a copy soon, while wondering if the minister will have a few words for me in a few weeks.
Last, we come to my number one fan — my first and most ardent. In my dedication, I mention Ty, a family friend of 30 years who recently passed away. Donna, his mother, is as kind as they come. She ordered a paperback as soon as it was possible, insisting on paying for it. She’d already heard parts of the story when I read it to Ty in the hospital and thought it was fascinating.
Donna isn’t the most tech-savvy. Well, neither am I, but Donna is further behind than I am. She reads my blog, so I must watch what I say. 😊 Hi, Donna!
My expectations for Blind Spot have always been modest. Every time it exceeds those expectations, I have a few minutes of absolute shock. On its third day after release, 519 copies were downloaded (for free). I was flabbergasted; I just kept refreshing every few minutes, watching the numbers go up. When 923 Kindle Unlimited pages were read in a single day, I nearly cried. And when I woke up to 33 likes one morning, I was ecstatic. They were all from Donna. Her social media horizons have been expanding.
I don’t want to live my life in silence because I’m afraid of upsetting those I care about. I also hope no one ever chooses not to write a book for that reason. Sometimes, you only understand how much you are loved when you share more of yourself. My friends and family don’t have to like or approve of everything I write to love me, have my back, and support me as I take a big step into the unknown. I wouldn’t know this if I hadn’t been brave enough to put daydreams out there.
My best advice? Take a chance. Be brave.
