Why people remember you

- . -

Hey,

think about your favorite writere.

Is he or she the best?

Or is he or she your favorite because you think they’re the best? Or is it the other way around?

In other words, is it really that important to be the best?

Or even to be good?

Not that I’m too concerned about the subject. I’m asking for a friend.

No, actually, I have a theory. Not that I came up with it. Plenty of people have noticed the same thing.

The theory is that we value people more when we feel closer to them. Family members. Friends. Writers.

Which means the more you know about a writer, the more you’ve heard them talk, or the more you’ve read about them, the more you tend to like them.

And, in a way, the better you think they are.

There are probably a lot of reasons for that, but here’s the question.

If you wanted your audience to remember you, what would you do?

Would you disappear for fifteen years and write your magnum opus?

Or would you rather show up a couple of times a week, sharing short pieces of your work?

I’m not talking about writing better.

I’m talking about showing up.

I’d say both things matter.

Take the comic strips in these newsletters, for example.

What do you know about The Condor?

Do you feel like you know him?

Can you imagine having a coffee or a beer with the guy?

I’ve had people tell me they’d never read a comic book in their lives, and they still ordered a copy of this book.

Or this one.

That’s something to think about, isn’t it?