January. In New Zealand it’s high summer – beach days, picnics, great summer fruit and vegetables.
And, like everywhere else, time to assess the past year and to look forward. What did I do well? What not so well? They’re private lists so I won’t elaborate here.
A big consideration with me is how did I spend my time? Far too much on… Not enough on…
My self-reflection, prompted by a few notes, tells me I spent a fair chunk of time helping other people. That’s good, because it’s usually time well spent. I’m not sharing details, and not looking for kudos, awards, or applause. We all do our bit in different ways.
What’s more important in my self-assessment is who helped me, and how did I thank them? Was it enough? And appropriate? Which got me thinking.
Over the past year I’ve received thanks in the form of a variety of gifts. Flowers (nice), biscuits, chocolates & other treats (nice on the lips not on the hips), wine (um, I’m a teetotaller), and a variety of other material items. In each case I appreciated the thought behind the offering, but was embarrassed when people spent money unnecessarily on things I didn’t need.
I mentioned this to a writer friend. She understood – “Surely people know how to thank an Author!” There’s a very simple answer to that – we both know, and every writer in the world will agree. So here it is.
To thank an Author:
• Buy their book/s and read their work
• If you like it, tell others, and write a good review
Simple. Appropriate. Effective.
It’s easy to do. It will probably cost you less than one of the other gifts too, especially if you have an e-reader.
This person has spent their time helping you – doing the same by reading their book is appropriate.
Give them something else and you’re rewarding someone else. By buying their book, you put your Author friend at the forefront of your action, as they did when they helped you.
Believe me, it will be appreciated a lot more than any other gift.
And, like everywhere else, time to assess the past year and to look forward. What did I do well? What not so well? They’re private lists so I won’t elaborate here.
A big consideration with me is how did I spend my time? Far too much on… Not enough on…
My self-reflection, prompted by a few notes, tells me I spent a fair chunk of time helping other people. That’s good, because it’s usually time well spent. I’m not sharing details, and not looking for kudos, awards, or applause. We all do our bit in different ways.
What’s more important in my self-assessment is who helped me, and how did I thank them? Was it enough? And appropriate? Which got me thinking.
Over the past year I’ve received thanks in the form of a variety of gifts. Flowers (nice), biscuits, chocolates & other treats (nice on the lips not on the hips), wine (um, I’m a teetotaller), and a variety of other material items. In each case I appreciated the thought behind the offering, but was embarrassed when people spent money unnecessarily on things I didn’t need.
I mentioned this to a writer friend. She understood – “Surely people know how to thank an Author!” There’s a very simple answer to that – we both know, and every writer in the world will agree. So here it is.
To thank an Author:
• Buy their book/s and read their work
• If you like it, tell others, and write a good review
Simple. Appropriate. Effective.
It’s easy to do. It will probably cost you less than one of the other gifts too, especially if you have an e-reader.
This person has spent their time helping you – doing the same by reading their book is appropriate.
Give them something else and you’re rewarding someone else. By buying their book, you put your Author friend at the forefront of your action, as they did when they helped you.
Believe me, it will be appreciated a lot more than any other gift.
RSS Feed
