Express Yourself

The Left Coast Crime Mystery Writers conference I attended in Sacramento was a new experience for me. This conference is what is called a "fan conference," meaning the attendees are not just writers and authors, but include the fans of mystery books. It is their chance to meet and listen to their favorite authors speak about writing. What a refreshing element! That passion for a good read is a dynamite zing. At the mystery awards banquet I was lucky enough to be seated next to two engaging women from Silicon Valley. Smart, educated, professional - and avid readers. I absorbed a great deal on what elements frustrate readers about the novels of their favorite authors, and what aspects made them favorites to begin with. Thank you Colleen and Mary!

I noticed, however, the general extraordinary shyness and reserve of the majority of writers present. One young man from New Mexico, newly published, seemed to always be off by himself in a corner of the business office of the conference center. It was as if he were feeling the centrifuge of attention pull him apart in uncomfortable ways and needed to duck away to regroup. Boy, did I recognize that feeling. We are, as my friend and blogger Lindsey Mead Russell put it in her blog today on A DESIGN SO VAST (www.adesignsovast.com), introverts in an extrovert world. Social media has added smokin' hot spotlights. Lindsey explores Susan Cain's book "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking," and writes about her own experience in a "noisy" world. Lindsey made the finals for an essay award and knew she needed to ask for fan support, (find a link to Lindsey's blog and her essay "Close to the Surface" for the Notes & Words competition under "Places and Persons of Interest" under my Book Club tab) which for introverts like Lindsey and I, is like asking people to leave their bedroom doors open. Privacy of thought and opinion is the final frontier of privacy. I get you, mystery writer in the blue polo hunched in that chair alone behind the copier. I get you Lindsey, wishing your work could just find fans on its own, no push from any inner "stage mom."

But this is not a world of "accidental discovery" any more (itself a separate essay on the loss of adventure and exploration), but a world of people with less time on any given day than the day before. We need to find what we're looking for, and find it fast. Who has the time to surf through junk seeking the gem? The element of fan enthusiasm is key to leveraging critical weight. What is good will always stand on its own, but saying what is good gets the word out. Talent needs to be heard above the media din.

So my dear fans, let us know if you love the work! Let us know what you hated about it. We care, we actually do. I myself write fan letters to authors I admire - I know firsthand how hard it is to get the pages out there. I am absolutely in awe of the reach and power of the written word. Books connect us from one end of the globe to the other.

Now I need to thank the reader from Queensland for her email last night. Made my day!