Writers - Join A Group!

I love being a part of writers’ groups. It’s so encouraging to be with other people who have the same goals, and are striving and struggling for and with the same things I am. You know, “birds of a feather,” and all that stuff.

My friend, Jan, is a great motivator and encouragement. In fact, she’s the one who nudged me to start writing. Along the way, I’ve formed numerous friendship that I would never had had otherwise.

I love my involvement in ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), and our local ACFW group, CWOW (Christian Writers of the West), Seekerville, and FaithWriters. If you are a writer or aspiring to be a writer, join a group. Get involved. When you’re discouraged, they’ll encourage you. When someone in your group is discouraged, you be that encouragement. Rejoice with others for their victories. Be genuinely happy for them, the same as you want others to be happy for you.

On Saturday, our CWOW group met, and our speaker -- a sweet, young lady who is multi-published -- shared how she once received feedback from an editor that was so negative that she didn't write for a whole year, that's how discouraged she felt. Eventually, God used that to show her that she had areas in her life that she needed to deal with. As we serve God, He has a purpose in everything that touches us. 

Enter contests. Tell yourself not to be upset if you don’t win. View everything as a tool for learning and honing the craft of writing. Judges’ feedback and score sheets can be invaluable to help you grow as a writer. Sure, occasionally there will be a judge who’s harsh. Your ego and confidence will deflate faster than a popped balloon. Give yourself permission to wallow in self-pity for a bit, but then, pick yourself up, dust off the blues and KEEP writing.

Above all, pray and seek God’s direction and blessings on your writing.