They’re Just Like You and Me
When I was eight, I met Princess Diana. I was thrilled when she stopped to talk to me and my friend. Warm, gracious, she asked our names. I told her mine, then my friend spoke. “Diane.” They bonded over the similarity of their names. Here was the most famous woman on the planet, chatting with two kids about their names—like she was truly interested!
Like she was just a person.
I love the novel The Book of Negroes and was thrilled to arrange a school visit with its author, Lawrence Hill. He had to cancel, but emailed me personally to apologize, warm and gracious. “Call me Larry,” he wrote. Larry! I’m on a first-name basis with this extraordinary author! Like he was truly interested.
Like he was just a person.
I met Karen Connelly, whose exquisite writing I can only aspire to, at at a book signing. I explained I taught passages of her work to my classes. Warm and gracious, she asked me more. Like she was truly interested!
Like she was just a person.
As writers, we often feel our own work can’t (yet) measure up to our heroes. We’re enthralled by them and their stories—we can’t compete!
But they’re also just people. So they may be further along on their writing journey but that’s okay. It doesn’t negate your path or your writing.
Admire your favourite authors or celebrities, absolutely! But I’m now going to assume they’re just like you and me. Warm, gracious, and interested.