Have you ever read a book, watched a show, or listened to a song and wondered how in the name of good writing certain lines got uttered? Consider RESPECT, today’s A to Z Challenge word. Maybe you’ve wondered how certain writers keep their jobs or how they continue to publish? Respect quality writing. Prove you know what makes good, impressive writing by reading great authors’ works and aspiring to the greatest heights with your own. Not only should you respect others’ writing, but you should respect your own. If you don’t respect what you do or what you love, how will others?

Readers must also respect authors. This comes mainly in the form of reviews. Much of the time, reviews end up being about what readers didn’t like about a book. They may not have liked the ending, for example, but it is important to always remember that fiction writing is extremely subjective. Anyone can think anything they want. Just because one person didn’t like the ending doesn’t mean that everyone who read it didn’t like it. Marking a book down based on how you are unhappy with the way a story ended can be upsetting to a writer who worked hard to make that ending happen. Not everyone will like everything written all of the time – it’s impossible! – but a story can end in a number of ways, and there will always be someone who wishes it would have ended differently. Conveying a sense of respect for the writers who pen the work and, conversely, for the readers who read it, is essential from an author’s and a reader’s perspective. Without respect, sharing writing among writers and readers will not be the happy medium it has the extreme potential to be.