I received a message from a reader of my zombie apocalypse story the other day. My story is posted online and has been completed for about five months, but I still get feedback about it occasionally. These messages come as a surprise since I am no longer actively writing for it.
The message was short: “I never cry reading stories, but you’ve got me bawling like a baby reading about her death.”
I was moved. To know that a story I crafted and worked on for over a year elicited such a reaction from a complete stranger was surprising. I was glad to get the feedback. It’s shocking how few people take the time to leave positive feedback. If the internet hates something, they’re quick to let you know, but positive comments are few and far between.
I wondered about this person. As a person that cries frequently when reading a good book, I found it interesting that this person had never (or rarely) cried while reading. What kind of books has she read? I don’t know how you get through a book like Old Yeller or Diary of Anne Frank without shedding a few tears. I’ve cried reading Stephen King and Tolkien, Albert Camus and Steinbeck. Happy tears or tears of sadness, books have elicited both, sometimes in the same chapter.
I started thinking about words. We all know the power of the spoken word. I’ve been moved to tears by speeches. I’ve watched as crowds of thousands are moved to tears and cheers by a single voice, stringing words together to create power – power to move people into action, to calm them from taking action or imparting wisdom.
We’ve been spoken to harshly, by peers and parents, and the sting of those words left invisible marks on us for years. Sometimes we don’t ever escape their effects. Some people don’t survive them. Words can break a person beyond repair.
Written words can be just as uplifting or devastating. That mean note in your high school yearbook – how long did those words rattle around in your head after graduation? Do you still think about them as an adult, twenty years later? What about the glowing review from your boss on your written evaluation? Do you remind yourself of those words when you’re having a rough day?
When I was little, my mom used to put notes in my lunch box. Just a few positive words for me half way through my day. I still have some of them saved. When I run across them, they still make me feel happy and loved.
When I wrote my story, I debated a long time on whether I really wanted to kill my main character. The story dictated it, and when it finally came time to write it, I literally bawled my way through typing three pages. It affected me greatly to write her death scene. Her death, though sad, was ultimately a sacrifice for those that survived. It was an act of love. This is a fictional character, a completely made up person, but I had become so close to the characters that it really was like losing a real person.
I figured it was just affecting me that way because the story was my baby, I was too close to it. After all, I spent hundreds of hours creating this world and the people in it. It was quite satisfying as a writer to know that it affected others as well.
After receiving the reader’s’ message, I was reminded of an anecdote I saw recently, though I don’t know where it originated. The gist is this: squeeze all the toothpaste out of the tube. Now try to put it back in. You can’t. You may be able to get some of it in, but not all of it. There will be a mess left behind. Now instead of toothpaste, think about your words. Once they leave your mouth, they cannot be taken back. They cannot be unheard or unread, no matter how many times you try to “fix” what you said, or wrote. Be conscious of your words, they are precious and carry weight. With them you can change the world for the better, or cause irreparable damage. They may be invisible, but they are something we carry around with us for a lifetime.
One kind word can change someone’s day. Let’s remember that in this crazy world. If you think something nice about someone, tell them. Don’t be afraid to say something nice. And don’t be afraid to speak up when someone is not being nice. Don’t let the person ahead of you berate the grocery bagger for being too slow.
We have to work harder at sharing positive words to overpower the negative ones. I think this message is more important now than it has ever been in my lifetime.
