...Give Five Rules for Meeting Writers You Admire
Before I start, I just want to mention that my thriller novella, When the Deep Purple Falls, is available for FREE on Kindle this week (through December 13th). It's a prequel to I'll Sleep When You're Dead, and includes black and white photographs and an illustrated murderer's row of the book's characters. So check that out!
Now, on to the post...
Meeting an artist whose work you hold in high regard can be daunting. As a debut writer, I was nervous and excited about the opportunity to attend conferences and panels and meet some of the writers whose work I’ve read. I was at an event recently with Suajata Massey and Donna Andrews and Art Taylor (to name just three of the terrific writers in attendance) and, happily, everything went well. So, warm with that success, I’ve come up with five rules that everyone should follow when it comes to meeting writers you admire:
1. Try not to be creepy. Sure you want to smell their hair, and it probably smells divine, but it comes off as creepy if you ask them. I’ve found a more effective strategy is to wait for the moment that the writer has a book in his or her hand, and then knock it out. When they bend down to pick the book up, now’s your chance! Lean over and deeply inhale.
2. Ask a question they’re not expecting. Every writer has been asked, “Where do you get your ideas?” or “How often do you write?” But not every writer has been asked, “How do you think you’re going to die, when it happens next Thursday?” by an adoring fan. Try it! The answer may surprise you, and the question will certainly surprise them.
3. Share something about yourself. It’s really hard to make a meaningful connection without vulnerability. That’s why I recommend volunteering something personal, usually at the beginning of the conversation (you don’t know how long you’ll have them for). This is how Meg Abbott found out the details of my colonoscopy last November.
4. Be cool. We live in an age of social media, and every writer knows the importance of blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and GoodReads. Most famous writers are used to having their pictures taken with fans and absolutely love being asked. So take a picture with the writer and mention that you’re going to put it on Facebook, in the same album where you keep pictures of the writer’s house, cat, the writer loading groceries into his or her car, and your colonoscopy scans.
5. Mention their work. At the end of a long day of panels and meetings, a writer wants to do nothing more than have a lengthy conversation with a fan. But you want to prove that you’re a true fan, not someone who just heaps on praise. That’s why I recommend pointing out errors in their books. “Did you know a comma was missing on page forty-three of your last book?” “Why was the main character’s house blue in the first chapter, and red in the third?” Writers LOVE these little tips, and will remember your critiques far into the future, even after you’ve forgotten.
That’s all the advice I have time for but, if you follow my lead, I guarantee any meeting you have with a writer will be memorable. Especially for them.
E.A.