On Staying Connected

Last night I had the pleasure of meeting up with two fellow/local Apocalypsies Elisa Ludwig and Eve Marie Mont. They are lovely human beings and we laughed and shared our "road to publication" stories and talked shop. On the way home it occurred to me: human connections make all the difference in life. Social media is important. I get that. Building an online presence is important. Yep. Tweeting, FB'ing, blogging are all a necessary (some may say crucial) part of being a writer.

I say it's all about the people.

This morning I read a feature article on author, Jay Asher in my beloved Entertainment Weekly (pause for a moment of silence) and the underlying focus was on how Jay's book 13 Reasons Why deeply impacted readers. He shared comments that he's heard at book signings - touching comments. Comments he heard face-to-face.

It's all about the people.

Remember when I gave that talk at the Detention Center a few weeks ago? If you have no idea of which I speak - click HERE. I'll be here when you get back.

You're back? Good.

I got feedback from my sister Meghan on the kids' reactions to my presentation. One of the detention officers on the boys' side came up and asked her, "So what's with these notebooks all the boys are writing in?" Meghan explained that her sister came in and gave a talk to the kids on how to express themselves on paper. He said, "Oh, that's cool. I get it. Four or five boys are writing a lot."

It's all about the people.

Human connections - I believe - are what keep us all going. Striving. Reaching. Living. Without truly being seen/validated/heard life is an even more difficult (sometimes impossible) journey.

Long story short - It sure feels good to get out there and make the connections. Meet the people. Be present and listen.

Have a great Friday.