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Sunday, July 31, 2011

5 MODERN WRITER COMPLIMENTS

It used to be, the greatest compliment you could pay a writer was that they kept you up reading all night. I remember pretending to fall asleep until my parents went to bed, then switching the bedside lamp on to surreptitiously read. I'd close the book on the last page, and look up to find the clock displaying 3:00 a.m., or daylight glowing on the other side of the curtains.

Things are different now. Following are five modern compliments for compelling writers:

  • I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. to download your new book on release day.
  • I signed up for a Pilates bootcamp because the studio provided day care during classes. I didn't do the Pilates. I just dropped the toddler off for an hour and read your book in the locker room.
  • I paid airline wireless fees because I couldn't wait another two hours to read your next book.
  • I didn't check twitter/facebook/blog stats once while reading your book.
  • I made a taxi pull over before crossing into Canada so I could download your newest title onto my Kindle.
I have happily done at least three, and possibly four of these things.
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8 comments:

  1. The Reverend TruthJuly 31, 2011 at 5:13 PM

    Yet another way that I'm still old school. I have no problem staying up all night if the book is that good. Exceptional stories have made me late for work.

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  2. AnonymousJuly 31, 2011 at 6:09 PM

    Have to admit, I've done a couple of those, in addition to staying up all night.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Claire GillianJuly 31, 2011 at 6:19 PM

    Hilarious, especially the Pilates one.

    Mine is: "I slipped my Kindle in an empty file folder and looked so engrossed all day that no one dared to disturb me, commiserated with me the next day."

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  4. Hillary JacquesJuly 31, 2011 at 7:50 PM

    TRT - I have a very real concern that one day I will be given the choice to stay employed or finish a book...and then will walk out with a banker's box under one arm, the other raised like Judd Nelson in The Breakfast Club (this is actually a life's goal rather than a fear).

    Kenra - *fistbump*

    Claire - "Why were you crying into that manila file?" "I just...couldn't get these darn reports to balance." =D

    ReplyDelete
  5. Margo LerwillAugust 1, 2011 at 7:00 AM

    Whoa, thank you, Claire, for that great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Aimee LaineAugust 1, 2011 at 7:11 AM

    Or, how about:

    "Kids? I have kids? What kids?" as I read to the tune of "Mom! Mom! Mom!" and "Aimee are you going to answer your children?" in the background. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Claire GillianAugust 1, 2011 at 7:52 AM

    Hillary, sad to say, your imagined scenario is not far from the truth. Crying is a dangerous 'tell' because there's no crying in accounting, but there damn sure is in some of the books I read.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hillary JacquesAugust 1, 2011 at 8:38 PM

    That's a classic, Aimee. I learned it from my mother, and she from her's.

    I don't know, Claire. I cry through most of my attempts at accounting. :P

    ReplyDelete

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