Just last week, I received a little fan note from a friend telling me how helpful he’d found my small-business start-up guide, Birthing the Elephant — what a boost his kind words gave me! I’m proud to say that while it was written for and about women entrepreneurs, there’s plenty of frontline advice in its pages about smart moves to make and pitfalls to avoid that men can benefit from, too. And though it was published a while ago, the tips and tactics it offers are evergreen.

This reminded me of meeting two young, dynamic women in a coffee shop one day when you could still sit in coffee shops and work. I was working on my novel and nursing a lavender latte — delicious! These two young ladies were discussing their websites and I knew instantly from the energy and excitement pouring out of them that they were two budding business owners.

We struck up a conversation and I snapped a phot of them. I told them about Birthing the Elephant. They were adorable and very excited to meet an author. We exchanged addresses and I sent each of them a copy of my book with a note of encouragement. What fun this was!

Is there anything that compares with having people read and enjoy your work? It always makes me feel uplifted to share something I’ve written — it’s like giving people a part of myself.

My dear friend and gifted author Nancy Burke knows exactly how this feels. Her novel Only the Women are Burning just launched and it’s racking up some great reviews (stay tuned!) Nancy told me how rewarding it is after working on her novel so hard and long to have people reading it and really “getting it” — really appreciating the layers of emotion and meaning she worked so hard to weave into her story. I’m so happy for her — what a great reward for all her perseverance!

What a gift it is to write — and to share what we’ve written! Let’s remember this on those days when it seems hard and lonely and we’re not sure where we’re going. When your words reach the world and touch people, none of this matters. Have you ever received this kind of a rewarding response? If so, I’d love to hear about it. Write on!