Our Value
Recently, I attended a convention for the TV show Supernatual. It aired for 15 seasons—327 episodes! We went at the behest of my teen daughter, a huge fan. I was also interested in meeting the actors, but I am, of course, a jaded cynic. How much could I really get out of a 10-second photo op?
I’d heard the lead actors, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles were kind, generous people who truly cared about their fans. I never doubted it. Still, they’ve seen thousands upon thousands of fans; how much could they give every stranger?
A look in the eyes and a smile, as it turns out. During our photo op with Jared, we said hi, he said hi, he put his arms around us, the photographer snapped the picture and I thought that was it. I turned to say thank you and he met my eyes and offered me a smile. In a millisecond, this actor who doesn’t know me from a hole in the wall, made me feel seen.
We do the same thing when we write. We make our readers feel seen. We may never literally look in their eyes or smile at them—but our characters do, metaphorically. Our stories and our words can connect with readers in important ways.
And you don’t have to be a famous actor to make that difference. Any of us—all of us—can be that connection to that one (or more) reader. As long as we keep writing.