Moments of Intersection

If you follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or in real life, it won't come as any secret to you that this weekend my hubby and I had an opportunity to see some of the Dancing with the Stars professional dancers at a charity event. And let's just say I was a tiny bit excited. :D It's no secret how much I love DWTS, but when the dancers came off the stage and down into the aisles, I had this sixteen-year-old-girl-on-stage-with-Audio-Adrenaline moment (yes, that really happened too), resulting in the fabulous photo op with my favorite dancer from the show:

I didn't even realize Val was also in the picture until I looked at it later. And I'm pretty sure he's touching my elbow.

I look just a little bit happy to be there, eh?

I would like to say the three of us had a heart to heart about how much they love dancing on the show, and then they taught me the proper way to Viennese Waltz. 

But in reality, the conversation went something more like this:

Me: "Tristan, can I get a picture with you?"

Tristan: "Of course!"

(Husband takes the photo---which, by the way, he totally gets bonus points for what a good picture it turned out to be)

Tristan: "Beautiful. Thank you!"

And then they were back on stage in a flash.

But those of you who frequent my blog know that I'm loosely patterning the hero in my WIP after Tristan, so this was such a cool moment! And I'm also just a really big DWTS fan. I've decided that someday when I've sold five million books and they beg me to be on the show, I'm going to request Tristan to be my partner because he's the nicest pro and is such a great dancer.

So, I started thinking about what a cool moment this was, and I realized that in life, we all have these moments of intersection. Some seem significant to us, like meeting our spouse for instance, and others seem insignificant. But each one of these moments matter. Every day, every time we interact with someone else, even if it's only online, it's almost as if we're at an intersection, and we cross paths. These moments bring opportunities to make a difference in the world.

I am fairly certain Tristan has no recollection whatsoever of my existence. And yet I am writing a blog about the picture. And that's kind of funny. But on a deeper note, it really does apply to all of us. How often do we have contact with people, and that one moment changes them? Maybe it's a smile or offering to pay for someone's coffee. We may not even know who they are or what they are going through, but these little things matter. And sometimes, they really matter.

I hope that encourages you today, especially as you are writing, to know that your story might seem familiar and commonplace in your own mind, but that's because you live with the characters all the time. To someone else, it might make a big difference someday. It might even change their life. So don't be discouraged when you get bad reviews or rejections from agents. Just pretend you're one of the dancers on DWTS, and remember that even the little moments of your life make a difference to those around you. :)

Oh, and here are some more pictures for those of you who might be interested:

A Hint--Okay, Maybe a Handful--of Sparkle

So, I was watching Dancing with the Stars a couple nights ago. If you know me at all, you know I've always had a secret dream... well, maybe it's not that secret... of becoming a professional dancer and figure skater. And during the show, I thought to myself, "Man, Cheryl's dress is sparkly."

See, I love anything with sparkle, anything that says, "Hello world, I have pizazz!" I'm one of those women who shamelessly wore sparkly bangle bracelets until my early twenties when suddenly I realized the accessories might have a minor impact on my credibility as an instructor.

So naturally, I notice things with that Wow! factor. You can insert your old-school Batman jokes here.

The question is, how do you get your writing to sparkle like Cheryl's dress? For me, the trick is adding Southern charm and humor. Know how I stumbled across that? By realizing that in the first draft of my book, the setting was virtually nonexistent. I'm not kidding! After I started paying more attention to adding a setting in revision, it really came alive and has now become one of the cornerstones of my brand.

But I want to hear from you! What tricks and tips do you have for making your own writing shine and giving it that wow factor?