Great observations!

I’m thinking of how people commented on articles of mine and turned them into real conversations, and how others shocked me into thoughtfulness.

Yes, readers who are full of compliments and appreciation are wonderful, from fans who enjoy short stories and other fiction to the folks who get fired up by my LGBT soap boxing. Over the last couple years on Medium I’ve even become close personal friends with some of those people.

The shocking part comes when somebody I don’t even know comments or emails me to tell me that something I wrote influenced them so much they made a major life decision based on it. That focuses me tremendously. I want to object. To write back and say, “I’m just a guy with a lot of ideas who happens to be pretty good at expressing them. For heaven’s sake, don’t do anything major just because of something I said. I don’t even know you!”

I haven’t stopped writing because of comments like that, of course, but I hope gradually I’m becoming a more thoughtful writer. I don’t dash articles off like I used to. For better or worse.

That’s maybe why I read my comments still, even when I get so many I can’t meaningfully reply to all of them. If people are actually listening to me (which deep down inside I find hard to believe) I figure I’d better know what they think.

Even if I have to wade through some negativity.