A Perspective Check

In retrospect, I am very glad that the post was on my personal profile. . . not my author page. . . though I’m sure many fans. . . readers. . . and friends don’t really differentiate between the two.

And then came the reality check. . .

The incomparable Debbie Dadey posted a comment that made me stop, step back, and re-evaluate my entire career.

And I realized that – though I personally would never put myself anywhere near the playing field of Marvel or DC or even Debbie Dadey. . . to my readers, to those who enjoy my stories, to the ones who await the next installment with bated breath, agonizing over the fate of their favorite character, there is very little to no difference.

In the grand scheme of literature, it really doesn’t matter if you have the following of Melanie Dickerson or Marissa Meyer or J.K. Rowling, it is the individual reader that makes the difference. It’s the story that matters to them, not how many other people are reading it. It’s the story that makes them keep turning pages, not the name on the cover of the book. It’s the story that has them watching social media for any tidbit of news that the series’ next installment is on its way, not the follower count on the page.

It’s the story that matters. It’s the reader that matters.

And if you’ve ever seen a movie. . . or read a comic about our friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, you’ve heard the phrase:

“With great power, comes great responsibility.”

Ironically, my daughter had this concept down at 11. . . She had to make a decision about whether or not writing was something she wanted to focus on. She had to choose between ballet – and books, and she chose books because (and I quote) “I have a responsibility to the characters, Mom.”

As I sat there this morning, looking at Debbie’s comment, I realized that I have been looking at this all wrong. I have been missing the big picture. I have distanced myself, spent too much time thinking of myself as a “fangirl”, and not nearly enough time thinking of myself as an author.

That stops now.

This morning, I woke up a writer. I say writer because I do not believe that, until this moment, I truly understood what it meant to be an AUTHOR. And, I won’t say I’ve got it 100% figured out, but I am taking it very seriously now. Thank you, Debbie. Thank you, Macy. Thank you, Mom. And, Thank you, to all of the readers who have stuck with me, even though I didn’t really have my head on straight until now. Where would I be without all of you. . .