The nicest compliment you've ever had

Elodie-Caroline

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Oct 6, 2006
Messages
1,021
Reaction score
186
Website
elodie.the.writer.tripod.com
... what was it for you?

I've had many compliments paid to me over the years, about my art, my cooking, my looks, oh, and even some about my novels too lol :D
But the best one I ever got, was from a lady I've known for a year from the internet, she's my usual beta-reader for anything I write. Anyway, I met her in person two weeks ago and we spent ove three hours whiling away the time chatting about many things. The day after, I got this in an e-mail from her.

"And don't put yourself down about lack of education. You can hold your own anywhere, and are more interesting to talk to than many so-called intellectuals or self-styled artists with weird names." (I'll leave it there)

She is an exteacher who reads a book a day and is married to someone very high up in a governmental department of another country. I was really chuffed with what she said, I can tell you :)


Elodie
 

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
29,138
Reaction score
8,563
Location
Toronto
Website
ktcraig.com
Oddly, one of my favs is in regards to the old hangup I had over my lack of education too... and a teacher telling me roughly the same thing. Weird. She said I was more educated in the human experience and humanity than anybody she had ever met... or something along those lines (she called me an old soul). I was shocked. Here was I thinking so little of myself because I turned my back on school at such a young age. I've since gotten over myself. I remember that as the best compliment I ever received.
 

Carole

How 'bout some ether?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 14, 2005
Messages
6,505
Reaction score
1,576
Location
Completely sideways, man
Mr. Vagabond and I have always had a thing for lengthy discussions about, "What if..."

They're rarely about the same subject twice, and they always last for hours and hours. We always say we're taking over the world when asked what we're talking about.

One night, while trying to figure out some metaphysical way to solve some theoretical something, I came up with an answer out of the blue. He stopped, looked at me, grinned and said, "Wow. You're really smart!"

Coming from him, that was a tremendous compliment. :)

Oh. And my mommy says that I'm pretty :D
 
Last edited:

Elodie-Caroline

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Oct 6, 2006
Messages
1,021
Reaction score
186
Website
elodie.the.writer.tripod.com
Those are the best comments, aren't they, KTC. I never had a good education and I don't mind admitting it, but I was always a reader, open-minded and always interested in what was going on in the world. Plus I've had, what some would say, an interesting life in a lot of parts.
It all ads to the mix, doesn't it :)
 

Ol' Fashioned Girl

Hand? What hand?
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 31, 2005
Messages
15,640
Reaction score
6,849
Location
Last Star on the Right
Website
www.jenniferdahl.com
When Ol' Boy said, "Will you marry me?" was the greatest compliment ever.

Second greatest was when someone who shall remain nameless 'cause we all would recognize the name critted one of my novels and told me I had 'serious chops'. :D
 

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
29,138
Reaction score
8,563
Location
Toronto
Website
ktcraig.com
Those are the best comments, aren't they, KTC. I never had a good education and I don't mind admitting it, but I was always a reader, open-minded and always interested in what was going on in the world. Plus I've had, what some would say, an interesting life in a lot of parts.
It all ads to the mix, doesn't it :)

Yes, indeed. Sounds like our paths were a bit the same in some ways.
 

Carole

How 'bout some ether?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 14, 2005
Messages
6,505
Reaction score
1,576
Location
Completely sideways, man
Kevin is one of the brightest and most interesting people I know, Elodie-Caroline. Sometimes I stalk him to just read what he's been posting. There's only a handful of peeps on AW who nearly always either make me think or make me giggle. Sometime it's both in the same post!
 

Elodie-Caroline

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Oct 6, 2006
Messages
1,021
Reaction score
186
Website
elodie.the.writer.tripod.com
Carole, it's always great, when someone you've known for a long time, can come out with something like that about you eh :)
My husband isn't a reader, he never has been, and he's not the kind to pay many compliments, but when I outlined my newest novel's story to hima few weeks ago, he turned and said, 'this time next year, you'll be a millionaire.' I know that's not true, but it was really an 'Aw shucks' moment when he said it.
 

Carole

How 'bout some ether?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 14, 2005
Messages
6,505
Reaction score
1,576
Location
Completely sideways, man
Carole, it's always great, when someone you've known for a long time, can come out with something like that about you eh :)
My husband isn't a reader, he never has been, and he's not the kind to pay many compliments, but when I outlined my newest novel's story to hima few weeks ago, he turned and said, 'this time next year, you'll be a millionaire.' I know that's not true, but it was really an 'Aw shucks' moment when he said it.
That's awesome. Yanno, I've always thought that everyone on the planet could just piss off as long as my hubby still digs me.
 

Elodie-Caroline

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Oct 6, 2006
Messages
1,021
Reaction score
186
Website
elodie.the.writer.tripod.com
Ol' fashioned girl. Aw. that's sweet of ol' boy and the other one sounds really great too! :)


Doyle, I'll deal with you later, young man! :D :tongue


Carole, is that really wise to say you're stalking someone in public? hehehe :D But yes, I've noticed Kevin around too and he is interesting... no I'm not stalking you too, Kevin, honest! :D
 

DWSTXS

Mr Mojo Risin...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 13, 2008
Messages
2,504
Reaction score
647
Location
Carrollton, TX
Website
www.pbase.com
Actually, last year I had a beta-reader go over my current WIP 'Blue-Eyed Son' and about halfway through she calls me, cussing me up and down.

She finally explained that she'd gotten to the part of the story where my antagonist does something really mean, she was so upset about what he did, and who he did it to, that she through the pages across the room.
That was a great compliment to me, because it meant that I had gotten that character right and had written the scene in a way that drew a pretty volatile reaction.

writing is about making your readers feel something right?

I know I got at least one character down correct.
 

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 6, 2007
Messages
31,661
Reaction score
11,407
Location
lost among the words
Back in a different lifetime, I had a column in an RWA newsletter that was pretty much a commentary on life as an unpublished writer. We suffered a housefire and lost about 98% of everything we owned (no hugs requested here--keep reading this post). One of the computers still worked and I had a column due the following month, so I'm sitting there in the apartment the insurance company put us up in, trying to figure out what was going on that I could write about or if I should just give it up for that month.

What came up was a realization that while I'd lost all the copies of books that I hadn't finished, all notes, all the knick-knacks I'd procrastinate with--it was a GOOD thing. Getting back to the basics, just me and the story was probably the BEST thing that could've happened to me and my writing.

The compliment was a multi-award winning pro author member of the chapter's email: "Thanks so very much. I really needed that."
 

Elodie-Caroline

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Oct 6, 2006
Messages
1,021
Reaction score
186
Website
elodie.the.writer.tripod.com
Yes, that is very important, Doyle. One of my gals made people laugh and cry, which made her seem human to the readers, which is all we can hope for in the end with our writing.
 

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 6, 2007
Messages
31,661
Reaction score
11,407
Location
lost among the words
That must have lifted your spirits at the time, Deleyanlee, and hugs wanted or not, I'll give you one for being so brave about the fire :Hug2:

Thanks. That was 1996. Everything that had been alive before the fire was still alive afterward (and was so was for many years), so all that was lost was truly just stuff. Stuff is important and cool, but there's nothing like losing all your stuff to discover what's really important and cool in your life.
 

Elodie-Caroline

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Oct 6, 2006
Messages
1,021
Reaction score
186
Website
elodie.the.writer.tripod.com
Yes, I quite agree with you, stuff is replaceable, lives aren't, and starting afresh must have been quite exciting in a way.

Thanks. That was 1996. Everything that had been alive before the fire was still alive afterward (and was so was for many years), so all that was lost was truly just stuff. Stuff is important and cool, but there's nothing like losing all your stuff to discover what's really important and cool in your life.
 

slcboston

Pasture-ized
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 1, 2007
Messages
50,312
Reaction score
29,060
Location
Second Star To The Right
Girl I knew (pretty and smart) once told me, out of the blue while we were working together, that I had "nice eyes." It caught me completely off guard, and she wasn't hitting on me or anything - at least I don't think so bcs I never got that vibe from her - which made it really nice.

Still gives me that warm fuzzy feeling. :)
 

Elodie-Caroline

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Oct 6, 2006
Messages
1,021
Reaction score
186
Website
elodie.the.writer.tripod.com
Nah, if she'd been hitting on you, she would have said 'nice butt' :D

Girl I knew (pretty and smart) once told me, out of the blue while we were working together, that I had "nice eyes." It caught me completely off guard, and she wasn't hitting on me or anything - at least I don't think so bcs I never got that vibe from her - which made it really nice.

Still gives me that warm fuzzy feeling. :)
 

StoryG27

Miss Behave
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 2, 2005
Messages
10,394
Reaction score
4,062
Location
TN
I once had a dashing young stranger with the deepest, bluest eyes you've ever seen tell me that he wished I would stay away (keep reading, it gets better) because every moment with me, every smile, every sigh was a reminder of what he couldn't have, what he shouldn't want.

I married him!
 

StoryG27

Miss Behave
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 2, 2005
Messages
10,394
Reaction score
4,062
Location
TN
Hmmmm...nicest...

"You're less annoying than usual, today."
Please, you know they didn't mean a word of it!




JK, we love you. . .we have to, Mac said so.