Today, I read a post on StreetTech that gave me an idea for something I think as writers we should all take the time to do every once in a while: Let other writers know when their work has inspired us or simply made our day a little brighter.

Gareth Branwyn was relating his stories of the handful of times in his 25-year writing career when someone bothered to let him know that his writing had affected them. The most dramatic example:

I had a guy come up to me, after a talk years ago, who said that the Happy Mutant Handbook had literally saved his life. He’d decided to go through with the grim deed the coming weekend. But in the meantime, he’d happened upon the HMH in a bookstore, bought it and had spent the weekend reading, postponing his date with the big sleep by the hour. He ended up being so tickled, so inspired by the book, he’d decided not to off himself by the time he’d finished. And so, there he was, at the podium, thanking me for saving his life. This utterly stunned me, the idea that my work had, in even the smallest way, helped save the life of another human being. It made the months and years of little-to-no positive feedback well worth the wait.

We know first-hand how sometimes it can feel like we’re writing for no one but ourselves (and maybe our loved ones). So I initiate this Word Pirates initiative: Let a writer know something he or she has written meant something to you and had a positive impact on you. Heck, even if it’s a well-thought-out comment on a blog you read frequently, go out and give some rewards. Maybe you’ll get some, too.

–Marcia