As a writer, author, and event coordinator I’ve met a lot of individuals both in-person and online.
Chats happen.
Words are said.
Praise given.
Suggestions made.
Perhaps some quick tips provided.
And time continues to tick on by…
Some Background
I am the co-Director of the annual Wine Country Writers’ Festival which was last held on September 23/24, 2022 in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada.
The Festival was amazing with workshops, readings, panels and more. On the opening night we announced the winners of our annual WCWFest Writing Contest.
Categories included Poetry, Fiction, and NonFiction.
There were cash prizes of $150, $75, and $50 for each category. The winners and those who won an Honorable Mention also received a certificate and Anthology.
Flash Forward Two Months
December 7, 2022. There’s a message in my Instagram. I copied and pasted it here. (written in red to honor all Gingers 🧑🦰👨🏻🦰👩🦰)
Faye, I wanted to reach out and thank you, so much, again for including my story “Roller Magic” in the year’s WCWF anthology. Your foreword in the book spoke to me deeply and inspired me to publish my first book. I can’t thank you enough for that.
Truly. Your words and confidence in my story set me on fire to launch this book. And it’s since sold 300+ copies and has been trending in the top 10 of new releases in comedy on Amazon.
Thank you!!!
Holy Moly…What Did I Write that Made Such an Impact?
December 8th: My response to Ryan Murphy via Instagram. It took me a while because I had to find last years Anthology and read what I’d written.
Ryan! I’m sorry it took me so long to respond but i had to find an Anthology to see what I’d written. You see, my office is undergoing a reno right now and nothing is at my finger tips.
I must say—YOU made my day.
As writers we never know how others will receive our words and the thought (fact) of making a difference in someone’s life is extraordinary! Right now I feel like a proud mama!
You did all the work and took the risk to put yourself out there. Yay Ryan!
Ps. Where is the pic of you with your anthology and certificate? 😊
And I hope you don’t mind me using your note on the website.
So Here’s Part of What I Wrote…
When I wrote these words I hoped that some would find them inspiring, but to receive a message of Thanks, like I got from Ryan, was beyond any conscious thought.
I’m humbled. I’m honored to have be a motivating factor for Ryan, and I’m touched by him reaching out.
He really made MY day.
What Started it All…
Here’s the front of the 2022 WCWFest Anthology.
Cover Art by Rachel Neale.
In Conclusion…
Thank you Ryan for the wonderful note. I’m so happy for your success and wish you many more publications to follow.
If You Get the Chance…
… and have reason to, write to someone out of the blue and Thank them for their inspiration through words.
It can be the spoken word–perhaps someone told you something that you’ve never forgotten but it impacted your life…
or
…it could be the written word.
Share your story below if you’ve had a similar experience to Ryan’s. I’d love to hear about it.
The powerful nature of the messages really resound with all. Have a great day.
Thanks so much for stopping by and reading my post. I hope you enjoyed it.
Follow Below.
Congratulations Ryan! I’m excited for you.
Hey Heather! Isn’t it great. I think Ryan’s pretty excited too. Love a success story.
As always.
Hi Lauren. Agreed. As Always.
So encouraging to hear how your words and the award inspired Ryan! Thanks for sharing this so we can all be encouraged….
Thanks for reading Marilyn. It’s amazing where inspiration comes from, isn’t it? Putting the words out to the universe is a great start. xo