There’s a strange kind of silence that follows uploading something into the void.
You spend days crafting a video or refining a chapter. You rewrite a line fourteen times until it stops sounding like bad theatre. You export, upload, tweak the thumbnail, write a caption that doesn’t sound desperate, and finally, finally, you press “Publish.”
And then… nothing.
At least, not right away. Maybe a view or two trickles in. A quiet like. You start questioning everything, your voice, your tone, your hair in that shot, whether this story was worth the time it took to write.
But then it happens. Someone, somewhere, leaves a comment that says:
“I want to read this.”
Five words. That’s it. No in-depth critique, no elaborate praise. Just a quiet little statement from a stranger who paused long enough to want more.
And that changed my entire day.
Not because it went viral. Not because I gained a hundred new followers or sold a book. But because it reminded me that the story I’m telling, the one I’ve dragged through sleepless nights, multiple rewrites, and far too many cups of tea, is reaching someone.
That’s the win.
It’s easy to talk about milestones and big launches. But for many writers, especially those still building something from the ground up, it’s the small, often invisible victories that keep the wheels turning.
So if you’re out there, watching someone’s book video or reading a blog post about a novel that hasn’t even launched yet, don’t underestimate what a simple comment can do.
To whoever left that message: thank you. You may not remember it, but I do.
Simon J. Phillips 