Support your favorite writer

"So I read your blog on Gather..." my husband cornered me in the kitchen.

"Finally?"  It only took a couple of weeks!  Here I am, connecting, blogging, publishing, gathering my Gather Points, and hinting, hinting, hinting to my dear husband that there was something new and exciting in my life he should really check out.  I had given up on his ever going to read my stuff, and was not about to beg.

His hesitation showed uncertainty at my tone of voice.  He could sense danger, smell potential disaster on the wind.  Tentatively he continued.  "Yeah.  I forgot what a great writer you are!"

Good answer.

But just what I needed to hear.  Today I finally pestered my friend Casee into checking us out, and she joined up right away.  Her own asessment was, "I also love reading your blogs and whatnot, they crack me up! You should write a book, seriously!"

But I am writing a book.  Hey, my own family and friends aren't paying attention!  So I can't get past 100 pages in the darn thing.  So I haven't picked it up in a while.  Still, there it is.  I'm a would-be novelist.  Me and about a million other people!

People, support your favorite writer before they give up the craft and find a day job.  Well, some of us never could afford to quit our day job, but we would like to.  Here at Gather, as in other places on the net, we have a unique opportunity to practice our passion for sharing ideas and telling stories.  We can have complete strangers read our stuff, rate it, leave us feedback.  But it would be great to have non-strangers read our stuff, too.

Please support your favorite writer, even if they have never been paid to publish something.  Everyone has to start somewhere, and this is a great somewhere to be.  For my colleagues, family, friends, fans... please let me know how I'm doing!

• Like the pictures of Alex I posted, but want to see more?
• Think my last article stunk?  Tell me how to do better!
• Am I boring?  Too sarcastic?  Lack detail or focus?  Let me know.
• Or did you enjoy a piece?  Did it make you think, smile, or cry?  Please tell me why so I can do more like that.

As in the real world, if you don't like a place of business, you can vote with your feet.  Walk out the door and never spend money there again.  Here, you can decide to quit reading my stuff, or tell me what you like and how I can do better.  If you don't agree with something someone has posted, or just don't like their style, don't post a comment.  The last thing you want to do is encourage more of that, or earn reward points for someone you don't support.  If no one responds to someone whose contribution is less than desirable, that someone is not likely to keep publishing.

People like me, we love to write.  We'd do it even if you weren't around to read it.  But you have the unique opportunity to help us be better writers.  You can tell your friends about useful or entertaining things you find on Gather, and invite them to check it out.  You also bring advertisers to sites like these, which bring marketing dollars, which brings more opportunities for people like us.

So friends, family, colleagues - support your favorite writer!  Writers need love, too.