send heartfelt fan letters

Dear Mr. Rogers,

I just read your excerpt in New York Magazine, and I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed it. I guess I was mad it wasn’t doing better in the polls, when it was obviously the most interesting piece… your style and concept grabbed me right away. I sincerely hope the novel gets picked up soon.

Cheers,

If I have gotten nothing else out of writing a book, I have at least gained an understanding of how annoying it is to have your book read (and judged) superficially.

Anyone can tell an author “Loved it. Really, it changed my life,” and I’m sure that’s nice. But isn’t it nicer to know that someone really thought about the book (or song, or whatever)—wrestled with it, engaged with it?

I’d like to try writing people letters that really express precisely what I loved about their books.

When will I call this done? I guess once I run out of living people whom I admire.