Connections
Connection, a Creative Commons photo taken by jazbeck (license – http://bit.ly/1dsePQq)
Someone more scientifically minded than me can probably give a technical / biological explanation of what I’m going to talk about in this post (if you’re that person, please chime in!), but for me, I just think of it as connecting.
It’s what keeps me going. It’s what makes life worthwhile. I write alone at my desk – and I love doing that – but it’s the connections I make that enrich my world. Here are the connections I’ve valued just in the last little while:
– With my readers. Every time I read a review, there’s some nugget in there that makes me think “She gets my story!” It’s a great feeling.
– With everyone I work with to run the pizza program at my sons’ school. The adult volunteers, the student volunteers, our amazing supplier, the school administration, and custodian, and teachers. The kids who bring their big smiles, and their quarters in Ziploc bags … I fizz with connections every Thursday (pizza day).
– With Martin, the horse I’m riding right now. Before I rode him yesterday, I took him into the empty arena and let him off the lead. I ran, and he followed. I stopped and he did, too. There’s something touching about a huge animal like that choosing of his own free will to walk next to you. It’s trust. It’s respect. And, when we’re riding outside, and he’s so much bigger and stronger than me, and he wants to GO! because he’s a racehorse, it’s the belief that he’ll listen to me – not because he has to (because he definitely doesn’t) but because we’ve connected.
– With Martin’s owner! We email back and forth about small details and big thoughts. What we want Martin to learn; how we hope to achieve it. It’s deeply satisfying to collaborate with another person toward a goal you care about.
– With my collaborator on my next book. This is my first collaborative writing project and it’s making me dust off old skills (interviewing, transcribing) and forcing me to find new ways of doing things. It’s a learn-as-we-go process and that’s fun – it keeps my brain working on more than just the story, but on the whole project. It’s eye-opening to discover somebody else’s talents, and it makes me want to up my game. I’m definitely up for more collaboration in the future.
– With my editor. She sends me such insightful, sometimes tough, comments and critique. When she gives me a compliment I know it’s the real deal. Bottom line – she cares about my books.
– With my entire writing team – designers, beta readers, web gurus, promotional contacts – a group of thoughtful, caring, funny, professionals. Amazing …
Every time I experience one of these connections – or the many others that happen in the course of a day – there’s a fizz in my brain – a re-energizing. I’m motivated, pumped, excited by all these connections. When things are difficult, they comfort me.
Like I say, I’m sure there are chemicals, and brain wiring, and other stuff at work under the surface that make these connections so rewarding, but I just know I love them, and feed off them.
What are some connections that reward you?
