Monday, July 25, 2011

What I Learned From a Werewolf

My hubby and I went to see the final Harry Potter film last night (it's so hard to accept that it's really over! *sniff*) and Remus Lupin had a line that stuck me in the heart. Looking out at the hordes of bad guys storming the school, he said (maybe not exactly, but close):

"It's the strength of your conviction that matters, not the number of your followers."


Or perhaps, the strength of your followers' conviction.

Earlier that day, a woman from church came up to me and said "I finished your book and I loved it!" Before I could even thank her, she demanded "Now I need that sequel! When is it coming out???"

For a moment, I was startled by the strength of her conviction (that is, until her words registered and I was overcome with ridiculous glee that she loved my book). The absolute determination in her voice made me WANT to finish the sequel, made me WANT to move mountains to satisfy her.

It's one thing to have hordes of followers who are waiting for your sequel, and I am sure that's great motivation. But to me, one reader who passionately loves the book is enough to light a fire in me just to keep her That Stinkin' Happy. And if she's happy, so am I.

Thanks, Remus, for your words of wisdom. Sorry J.K. had to off you in the last book. ;)

Posted by Unknown at 8:12 PM
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5 comments:

  1. Lani Wendt YoungJuly 25, 2011 at 8:37 PM

    This is a great post. Uplifting and so true. All it does take is ONE person to love what we do/say/create and our fire for forging ahead burns brighter. Thanks for that reminder. And happy writing that sequel.

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  2. Jessica SilvaJuly 26, 2011 at 2:50 AM

    This is adorable. I think I find it easier to write when I have some sort of reader feedback. Writing without feedback is really scary--like running headfirst into complete darkness. Some people are strong enough, and some people would rather get a flashlight ;)

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  3. StinaJuly 27, 2011 at 3:56 PM

    The same thing happened with the first YA book I wrote. I sent it out to my teen beta readers and they asked me when the sequel was coming out. I did write it, but didn't finish editing it. I only queried 15 agents with the first book, then decided to move on. I wanted to write YA urban fantasy instead of YA fantasy (which is what the first book was).

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  4. UnknownJuly 27, 2011 at 4:58 PM

    Lani- I can use all the fire I can get. Thanks for being such a great supporter!

    Jessica- Count me in for a flashlight, absolutely!

    Stina- Congrats on finding your groove and the genre that you love. Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Amy JonesJuly 30, 2011 at 10:51 AM

    Awesome and true post. I loved that last line, poor Remus (and poor 'us,' no more HP movies 'sniffle').

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