Monday Motivation - Have You Encouraged Another Writer Today?

Have You Encouraged Another Writer Today? 

While I often share about creativity or making time to write, spending time with other writers on Saturday had me thinking. Like shape shifting aliens from another galaxy, writers mingle, disguised, among normal earthlings. We look the same as our family members and friends, but trapped inside lurks someone else.

That person speaks a different language, talking about their “wip”. Three-act structure, GMC, character boards, the voices in our heads, showing versus telling . . . all of these things sound like foreign terminology even to the most brilliant among us . . . unless they’re a part of our world. The beloved normal people in our lives may learn some of it, so they can listen and comment; but they don’t live it.

Whether meeting with critique partners, attending a workshop or a conference, writers find encouragement and refreshment among others who know and work on the craft. We understand each other—the need to create people and worlds and stories, which we feel compelled to share. We may work at different skill levels and modes of success, but there is an understanding.

Have you encouraged another writer today? Read their blog and left a comment? Read their book and given a helpful review? Offered to critique or beta read for a friend? Prayed for a friend’s writing career? When taking time to communicate, to encourage others, we can be further energized and motivated in our own work. 

Attending conferences or workshops to meet face-to-face can also be a great motivator. Although, most writers tend to be introverts and a large conference may be overwhelming, connecting with even a few people can be helpful.

Can’t attend the national ACFW Conference this year? Have you checked out the At-Home Conference on-line in the fall of 2014? If you live in or near Michigan, the ACFW Great Lakes Chapter has meetings set up around the state. Get connected! Get motivated!

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