Writer Needs Authentic Smile

Wohoo...jadi ceritanya beberapa waktu lalu diriku pernah 'ngrasani' eh maksudnya 'mbatin' seseorang yang kuanggap ih senyumnya kok gitu sih. kayak nggak tulus, seperti ada kesan meremehkan orang lain. dan nggak tahu gimana, beberapa waktu setelah itu aku merasa 'senyum jelek' yang kubatin itu tiba-tiba ternyata seperti nular padaku. Pas aku lihat foto-fotoku, hati jadi kecut lho kok senyumku ikutan jelek kayak si itu, kesannya antara meremehkan orang lain campur tidak percaya diri. Hih, sebel. Sementara orang yang tadinya senyumnya jelek itu berangsur-angsur senyumnya malah membaik. Subhanallah. Gitu lho ternyata, jadi kita nggak seharusnya 'mbatin' atau 'menyidro' alias menganggap jelek suatu sikap orang lain meskipun hanya dalam hati. Kujadikan itu sebagai pelajaran, dan mulailah kuperbaiki lagi senyumku seperti sedia kala.

Eh, ndilalah hari ini menemukan artikel pentingnya senyum bagi seorang penulis. Nih artikelnya, cekidot:

It would be ideal if writing skill and talent were the only attributes a writer of novels or screenplays needs. However, in the real world some additional skills are vital. Some of these may strike you as unusual, but bear with me.

AN AUTHENTIC SMILE

(I did warn you these might strike you as unusual..) Part of success as a writer is making connections with agents, publishers, influential bloggers, etc. Many of these links are forged online, but it's also common to make such connections in pitch meetings, at conferences and conventions, and other live events.

Research has shown that people make up their minds about you within the first few seconds, and that a genuine smile has a strong positive influence. It's sometimes called the "Duchene smile," one that involves upturned lips and crinkly eyes (fake smiles don't involve the eyes).

How do you create such a smile if looking at the agent or publisher doesn't genuinely fill you with positive emotions? Method acting. You think about something or someone you love and would smile at if they were in front of you. Or in your imagination you put the head of a baby or your favorite dog or cat on the body of the person you're meeting. Better not to burst out laughing, though.

Jadi, iseng-iseng aku mengumpulkan beberapa fotoku dan mengecek, apakah aku punya senyuman otentik itu. *Halagh:D