Never Say Sorry For Being Nice

Have I told you about writers?

Needly, anxious, insecure, badly paid, desperate to be informed that they’re wonderful – writers make actors look almost normal, and I say this as someone who has spent far too much time in contact with both.

Alone at their keyboards, writers spend a significant amount of their time pining for the moment someone will turn round and exclaim ‘yes, you are THE BEST and I LOVE your books’ and when it happens they’ll turn bright red and mumble something about how you’re too kind and it’ll be catastrophically awkward and everyone will be sorta like, ‘and uh, so, isn’t the weather grey?’

“Uh, so uh, um….” mumbles the writer desperately.  “It’s uh… yeah.”

And at this point, you, the incredibly kind human who’s just said something to a writer, might apologise.

Because the writer looks awkward.

And you’re a fan.

And it’s all gone a bit weird.

But guys… let it not be a big secret that you have just personally made that writer’s day.  Even if they look like they want to vanish into the pits of the earth, when you said something nice to whichever wandering scribbler it was, you were a shining knight in armour.  Their heart soared, their fingers tingled, light came into their souls and minds.  You did a noble deed in a wicked world, and in a few kind words gave more joy and gratitude to a scribbler than is probably healthy or wise.

Never, ever, feel like you need to apologise for saying something kind to a writer.

Just ‘cos they’re socially inept doesn’t change the fact that you, with your actual confidence and passion, have lifted up their hearts.

For which, on behalf of most scribblers everywhere who are too awkward to know how to take a compliment properly…. thank you.