The World is So Big, Yet So Small

The World is So Big, Yet So Small We sit in our chairs behind desks or at the kitchen counter on our laptops, and feel protected from the world yet a part of it. The shy parts of us try to convince us that we are just as connected as if we were on tour. The web has joined us all together. Then we wonder why we dont have followers, or why we arent selling books. Anyone can throw up a blog. Anyone can buy an ad, and goodness knows anyone can toss a book on Amazon. All of that does little for your platform. That is . . . unless you have a blog that knocks the socks off people thanks to your controversial way of presenting things, or your works wax ridiculously lyrical. Blogging about your life, your day, your thoughts on writing . . . how is that different from the next one hundred blogs What Im trying to say is there is nothing magical about putting yourself out on the web. Followers dont suddenly find you because you purchased a domain name and hired someone to build you a WordPress site. You arent Kevin Costner, and people dont come to your blog because you built it. If Ive learned anything in the book side of my profession, its that people want to see you. Ive spoken to a room of three hundred or as few as two. Some appearances are more predictable than others, but the truth is you present with the same quality and passion. These folks are there to see you, experience you, learn from you. You might be amazed at how much they appreciate you putting yourself out there, with some of the most loyal fans coming from small events. Most of my strongest supporters have met me. From a library in Bettendorf, Iowa to a writers conference in a rec center cafeteria in Wadesboro, North Carolina. From the basement of a bank in Black Earth, Wisconsin to the sun porch of a home in Newberry, South Carolina. When you meet people, make eye contact, and read their body language, you form a more memorable bond. The writer becomes real, more worthy of endorsement because they took the effort to be there in the flesh. That took planning, driving, the cost of travel. Be willing to genuinely meet people. Dont hide in a string of twenty authors. Be willing to smile and share a minute with a stranger. Dont forever hide behind your screen. Yes, the world is huge, but making the effort to shrink it and stretch your social skills with a handshake and real conversation forges long-time fellowship. Thats the strongest platform you can create. And you dont have to travel the globe to find it. Your hometown venues work just fine.