I was a hopeful young girl prowling the library in search of ideas–answers, even.
Who am I? What will I be?
In search of self, I scanned nonfiction titles throughout the Dewey Decimal system, often returning to scan the line of titles in the writing section. One day, I saw this one:
Write to Discover Yourself, by Ruth Vaughn.
Write to discover myself? Why, that’s exactly what I wanted to do. I dreamed of writing, and I was a junior high kid in the midst of self-discovery. It was the perfect book. I checked it out and pored over it.
I filled notebooks with suggestions and quotations and exercises that Ruth Vaughn designed for the reader, all containing content from the university courses she taught on the subject but presented for the non-academic reader. Even a junior high kid could follow her every word.
Every once in a while, she’d include something that made me suspect she was a Christian. The book didn’t seem overtly Christian, so it was just a hint, a whiff of spirituality, a suggestion of prayer and mention of God. Being a young and enthusiastic believer at the time, I thought I was pretty clever to pick up on her clues. Not only that, I had a goose-bumpy thrill that the Holy Spirit was using this book in my life.
I checked it out many times, revisiting it to see if I could learn something more.
Fast-forward to college. Creative writing classes brought back my junior high memories of Write to Discover Yourself. I tried to track down a copy to finally own, but it was out of print. When I was visiting my parents one weekend, I returned to my beloved library, and on a shelf in the writing section sat that same copy of Write to Discover Yourself that had been such a source of encouragement during prime years of self-discovery and writing dreams. I checked it out, and because it was out of print, I was free to photocopy the entire book. I finally had a copy of my own.
And then a thought occurred to me: I should write to the author and tell her how much this book has meant to me. I don’t know why I was so determined to follow through, but I was, and I did. I composed a lengthy letter explaining how I found it in the library years ago and it helped me accept who I was. I wrote about revisiting it years later as a college student and how encouraging it was to me as an English major. Basically, I thanked her for making such a profound impact on me. Then I mailed it to the publisher, asking them to forward the letter to Ruth.
And they did. It took them some time to track her down, as they had lost touch with her. But they found Ruth Vaughn, mailed her the letter, and she wrote back.
That response–probably in 1986 or 1987–was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. Ruth and I correspond to this day–I just wrote an e-mail to her yesterday. She’s been a long-distance mentor, encouraging me as both a writer and more importantly, as a fellow believer and a mom.
When I published a book in 2000, I received some letters and a few e-mails from readers. As recently as yesterday, someone wrote and shared how God used The Contemplative Mom in her life. I’m so encouraged by this, so delighted and humbled. Every note, no matter how short or long, whether handwritten and mailed or zipped off by e-mail is thrilling. It affirms my work and calling. Books have a life of their own, and authors never know how many hands a copy will fall into, how many eyes will take in its words or how many thoughts will be stirred as a result. Letters offer a hint of the impact and spur us on to keep at it, to apply our rumps to chairs and write. E-mails from readers remind us why we write: to communicate to a broader audience and share our passion for the subject or story.
Blogs have made it so easy. Many authors keep blogs or post an e-mail on their websites so that readers can easily contact them–it’s fast and easy.
Some people feel shy about writing an author, but don’t be. Some of the big-name authors may not have time to write back, but they will be encouraged.
If a book by a living author has impacted you, I urge you to take that extra step and let her know. Hop onto Google and track down a website or blog, locate an e-mail, and if nothing comes up, write a quick note and send it through the publisher’s e-mail.
Write a writer today. You’ll make someone’s day.
16 comments
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March 22, 2007 at 9:28 am
Andrea
That is wonderful Ann, for you and Ruth. Is her book still in print? Sounds like something I would like.
March 22, 2007 at 10:57 am
Lynn
This is for Andrea–try http://www.abebooks.com. They have an almost frightening array of old or out-of-print books. I’ve used them many times and have not been disappointed. Well, when Annie was searching “Warm as Wool,” and it was so expensive, I tried Abebooks. I found it, but it was just as expensive there! Most stuff is quite reasonable, and if there are a lot of entries for one book, try the slightly more expensive ones and see if shipping and handling is included.
March 22, 2007 at 11:10 am
Phil
Wonderful thoughts, Ann!
Your thoughts to Ruth I’m sure brightened her day, and many days since. Isn’t it great?
I wrote a similar letter to a teacher I had in high school; just needed to express the gratitude inside me and remind him his investments in students were worth it.
Awesome post!
Phil~
March 22, 2007 at 12:49 pm
annkroeker
Andrea: Unfortunately, Write to Discover Yourself is no longer in print, but the ideas, if I recall, are timeless. My mom has already given you the link to Abebooks.com. I also use Half.com and Amazon.com marketplace for used books. I’m trying to convince Ruth to get it reissued somehow. In the meantime, we’re all going to have to share.
Phil: Aw, Phil, you brighten *my* day with your encouraging comments! And you know what’s funny? When I was composing this post, I actually thought about teachers (and bloggers, too). Perhaps tomorrow’s post I’ll urge people to de-lurk and encourage a blogger. And I’m sure your teacher was deeply moved. I’m sure so many teachers question their calling. When/if more letters from former students arrived now and then, it would surely carry them through for weeks if not months of teaching.
March 22, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Karen Hossink
Ann, I’ve told you before but I’ll say it again so everyone else can “hear” it, too. I loved The Contemplative Mom!
And I’m so glad you blog. Really, there are other things I “need” to do, but I always try to keep caught up on your blog. It’s the first one I read every time.
As to the letters/e-mails from readers – I absolutely LOVE hearing from women who’ve read or are reading my book. I second your motion for everyone to write a writer.
March 22, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Phil
OK – time for a moment of shameless self-promotion!
Actually, I am kind of proud of it. Partly because when I wrote my letter in 2004, I took my sweet time writing it, then edited like I was submitting to an international magazine or something, I wanted it to be that strong. He was an audience of one and I wanted the impact of my tribute to move him as much as the packed auditorium moved Glen Holland in “Mr. Holland’s Opus”.
I posted it here early this year. Each time I see that someone’s visited it I smile and hope they took the time to read all the way through. Warm up your coffee or tea and enjoy.
http://vibrance.wordpress.com/2007/01/13/tribute-to-music-teacher/
Phil—
March 22, 2007 at 4:12 pm
An Ordinary Mom
There have been so many times where I have thought in my head to write an author and thank them profusely for the tine and energy they put into their book, but sadly I have never done it. However, next time I will.
Having been a former high school Biology teacher, I echo the words already written. Each tiny note composed to say thanks for what we do means the world to us! When I was a student in school, I had some amazingly remarkable teachers, and I can still remember some of the words of encouragement they shared with me. I need to track them down and express my humble gratitude for all the sacrifices they made in my behalf.
I am interested to see if my library carries this book … and yours as well. Thanks for sharing!
March 23, 2007 at 9:14 am
Pattie
I actually found a copy of that book last year on Amazon, I think. Paperback Swap.com is another good source for older books (and not all are paperbacks).
I write to writers a lot, and email makes it SO much easier. They almost always write right back to me, and always appreciate the notes
March 23, 2007 at 4:57 pm
annkroeker
Phil: I haven’t had time to heat up the teapot and check out the tribute, but I’ll try to this weekend.
anordinarymom: Who will be the fortunate writer to receive your first gratitude note, I wonder? You’re a great writer yourself, so I know they’ll be amazed and delighted at whatever you say. Also, it’s really neat to see that Phil may have inspired you (and others) to write former teachers. Your personal experience will give you a deeper compassion. As for the library–well, we know you have the most fan-tabulous library on the face of the earth (for those who haven’t read her WFMW post about the library–hop over and check it out). I’m sure they’ll find it for you somewhere in the inter-library loan or something.
Pattie: I’ve never heard of swap.com! Thanks for the tip–I’m eager to check it out. Also, a big hooray to you for writing to writers. With your reading ministry/work, that’s got to be a fun interaction.
March 23, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Amy Jane
It was funny to read this today, because I just (yesterday) finished reading the only other book written by the Author of my favorite book.
I don’t know what took me so long. I *loved* it. And I wished again the woman was still alive to correspond with, or thank, or something.
Do you ever have a book you love so much you want to risk it being made into a movie? These two are mine.
But then, I really want to be the one to write the screenplay!
My only consolation is that they’ve been around for decades, so maybe they’ll continue to avoid interest until after I’ve published a few things and I’d actually be taken seriously as a candidate.
*sigh*
Maybe that’s my largest dream right now– even beyond getting my own novel published ;o)
March 29, 2007 at 7:03 am
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March 30, 2007 at 7:10 am
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September 10, 2007 at 7:03 am
Kathleen M
Ann I thought when I read your words about “Write to Discover Yourself” that I was reading a page from my own journal.
That book changed my life. And I DID write to Ruth Vaughn over 20 years ago and she replied to me. Over the years I have passed on some of Ruth’s wisdom to friends and students.
Tonight I was writing to a friend and felt the need to mention an aspect of this book – if you write down all those things you think about yourself which you feel might make people like you less, then you might be surprised how insignificant they look on paper. To make sure I had the right spelling of Ruth’s surname I Googled the book title. And your website came up.
In the past 20 years I have achieved a measure of success with my own writing, have been at overseas conferences and interviewed on TV, radio and in newspapers and magazines. In all that time I have never forgotten “Write to Discover Yourself”.
If you are able to give me an address to write to Ruth, I would love to tell her this myself. I’ve had quite a few fan letters myself over the years and I know how much they meant to me.
September 12, 2007 at 4:51 am
Kathleen M
Thank you for passing on my letter to Ruth.
She has written me a lovely letter and I’ve just replied to it.
Kathleen M
September 12, 2007 at 12:27 pm
annkroeker
Kathleen: I was going to post a comment here and let you know. I’m so glad you rediscovered her and remember the impact that the book made on your life. I’m certain you delighted her by writing! Thank you for posting a comment. It’s nice to meet you.
September 22, 2007 at 4:56 pm
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