Member-only story
Oh, Steve — You Light Me Up
An ode of gratitude to a puzzled reader
“I’m still waiting for your point?” SteveT wrote, after he’d finished reading a piece of my writing.
I’m lit up by this comment, especially because of what Steve wrote next:
“I reached the end of your article. You had me through every word and then. It was the end.”
When I saw this comment, my first thought was: “If only I could give this feeling to every reader. If I knew I’d done that, I’d die a happy person.”
My next feeling was pure delight. Because Steve had glimpsed something in my writing that I long to see myself.
Tumbling sore into wonder
It’s rare for one of my readers to tell me they couldn’t help but read to the end. And I was thinking, “Steve, you just paid me the biggest compliment!”
As a writer, I aspire for each sentence to tumble into the next. I want readers to swipe down, hungry for what’s coming.
I recall a baby I held during a stroll in the park. As we walked, she looked up, her eyes wide with wonder. I followed her gaze, and looked up too. We were beneath a cluster of trees. She was staring up through the leaves made luminous by sunlight.
