Into the Fire

                 {This post is a rerun from 2012 but still applies.}

 Writers beware. Talk is cheap. Affirmation is necessary in most peoples' lives. So writers aren't unusual in that regard. But we can be less than satisfied with compliments that ring hollow or seem "canned". After all, we strive to write with a unique voice, and though we realize there's nothing new under the sun, we hope to somehow capture the mundane and make it exceptional.

Yesterday when I revealed what would be the ultimate compliment from a reader, I chose it because I consider it to be my supreme affirmation to an author whose work I love. And I don't say it lightly or often which I hope makes it all the more meaningful to the author and to others who might read my comments and/or reviews.

The reason it would mean so much to me is because of what's behind the words when I say them. In yesterday's comments when Tim quipped, "I started to sound all spiritual . . . " he wasn't far off from the underlying desire for my optimum compliment. If an author's work bullseyes the target, for me that means it delivered at all levels: the emotional, the physical, the spiritual. The emotional and spiritual aspects speak for themselves, but the physical, to me, means they painted the picture, created a movie, and developed real characters. I should clarify that the spiritual level might not be overt, but it must dig beneath the surface, the obvious, and not make the supernatural points somehow boring and/or cliché.

We don't write seeking compliments, but I don't know any writer who doesn't crave a little affirmation.

Father, I need yours. Over and over again. I do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.