Hi guys!
Last week was a hell of a week. I got Soul Bearer up and going, despite a shit ton of technical problems. It’s officially up for pre-order, in case you didn’t know from me posting all over social media about it. Lmao.
The official release date is October 22, 2019. So close! I’ll have information about the giveaway soon, I promise. But it won’t actually take place until closer to release day, anyway.
I’ll be honest, it doesn’t feel real yet.
I also started contacting ARC readers, and powered through a SHIT TON of editing on Salt and Silver (WIP in preparation for beta readers).
I also realized just how much I’m working on. Lol. I don’t know if you’ve looked at my works in progress page, but damn.
I never really think about it until I talk about one of my stories with someone, and they mix it up with another, and I have to stop and say, “no, that’s a different one.”
I can’t wait to get all these books out.
I’m gonna need help maintaining my sanity over the next year or year and a half. Which brings me to the topic of the day.
The importance of finding a writing group.
I’m lucky enough to have a supportive husband and family, but a lot of writers don’t have that. From what I’ve seen in various groups, a lot of people have the opposite.
Which sucks because…writing isn’t the easiest thing in the world. Whether you struggle to write, or to edit, or to market (*cough cough* me + marketing = nightmare), there’s always some part of it that trips people up. I’ve yet to meet a writer who loved every single aspect of being an author.
And that’s fine.
It can be frustrating, at times.
Not to mention the drain of imposter syndrome. Feeling like you aren’t good enough, or like you’re not a real writer can really drag you down. Any creative profession is rife with self doubt.
On the one hand, it’s what tells you to keep learning and improving. But it also has the potential to stop you in your tracks.
And that’s why you need a group of people around you to keep you going.
And coming from me, that’s saying something. I AM NOT a group oriented person.
At all.
I’ve briefly touched on my social anxiety in past blogs, and how it dates all the way back to preschool. I’ve mentioned how I started preschool a year early to socialize, then didn’t talk to the teachers for a year and a half. Then, when it was time to do testing for kindergarten, I wouldn’t talk to them either, so they thought I needed special ed. My mom asked me their questions, I did fine, and they said, “just go to kindergarten.”
So I did.
But I didn’t talk to the teacher there for like…9 months.
So I don’t typically like groups or socializing or talking.
But writing groups are a necessity.
I’m in several. Lol.
The friendships I’ve built (with people who know the struggle of misbehaving imaginary friends) and the things I’ve learned from them…they’re definitely worth the initial awkward feeling of, “Oh, god! New people! What do I say? What do I do? Have I gone too long without saying anything? Did they forget I’m in the group? Are they glad I’m not messaging? Do they talk about me when I’m not in the group?”
Because when you push that aside and get past it, you get so much out of a writing group.
If you’re looking for one, I’m in World Indie Warriors. There’s a page on IG and FB. They’re wonderful, and super supportive. Not only are they amazing friends, they’ve talked me through a lot of tech problems (because I’m garbage with computer anything) and helped me with cover design and all manner of other things.
There’s also Fiction Writing on FB. It’s a huge group, so anytime you need a lot of opinions, that’s a great place to go. It’s also great for getting questions answered. With 90,000 members, there’s bound to be someone who knows the answer. Lol.
I recently joined Writing Bad on FB, but have been working, so I haven’t gotten to explore that one yet.
There’s also Fellow Creative Minds on IG and Women Writing Fiction on FB, but I’m not in either of those as much as I should be.
Even if you just join a small group, maybe five or six people, it can be super helpful.
Especially when it comes to writing quality. You NEED to have other people looking at your work. You’re too close to it to pick out every flaw. You know the scenes and the characters, so you don’t always see when you need to elaborate more. Maybe it’s the opposite. Some people over-describe.
If other people are looking at your work, they can tell you these things (in a constructive manner) to help you grow as a writer.
You need people to push you, to challenge you. You need people to help you become the writer you’re meant to be.
And that means…*dun dun dun*…reaching out.
Because even the most antisocial among us…sometimes just need someone we trust to say, “You’re good enough, you can handle this, and you deserve this.”
So, go join a group. All the ones I mentioned above are very welcoming.
I’ll stop screaming socialization, though. Lol.
For now…
Keep reading. Keep writing.
Later.