Another bit of validation came in the form of an email this morning from a beta reader. She was the first to finally read my prequel novel "Eyes on Natalie." I started out my morning in quite a bad a bad mood. My youngest was up a lot in the night so my own sleep was really rough. Anyhoo, I got to work and checked my email and got the most beautiful compliment. Basically, she was apologizing for not reading sooner. She had put it off on purpose because she knew it would make her emotional (having already read the novella, "Eyes for Benny.") She said she doesn't usually get emotional when doing beta reading or editing, but was drawn in by my work. She wrote, "You are able to speak, to project feeling and emotion into your writing without the sappy dribble so many turn to. Be very proud of that skill, cherish it because it is a gift." I nearly cried. Totally turned my morning around. It took me a few minutes to recover before I was able to teach my first class.
All I can say is praise can be very powerful. Thank God for those who have praised my work because it is so easy as a writer to think my own work is trash. Any constructive criticism I receive from my peers cuts like a knife, helpful though it may be. My advice to other writers: have harsh critics to force you to improve but have some praisers in your pocket to help you keep forging on!
