Writers are a peculiar group. Some of us are the type that likes to hide from the world and create our word sleuthing under cover, others, such as myself, enjoy the companionship of having people around them and revel in storytelling and sharing ideas with other writers, gathering knowledge and ideas from them.
I’ve always shunned the spotlight, even though I am an extravert, a champion for a cause kind of person. I had to gradually emerge from my writer’s cave and get comfortable with letting the public hear my voice, share my work, and review it. I never really set out to be a writer. It was just something that came about as a way to escape, to flavor the world a bit and or inspire it with some encouragement, some wisdom, and perhaps just speak to that one person who needs it the most. It was also healing for me. It was my way of changing my perspective, taking a deeper look and perhaps teaching my soul how to take the first steps in making my life richer, opening up my spirit.
I began following more writers on social media, the more I interacted, the more I found that the writing community welcomed me. I soon found myself sharing how I cried for a month over my bad book review and how I doubted my abilities. They gathered me in like a mother hen with her chick and shared that they too had the same experiences and that I wasn’t alone. I was family, kindred and amongst my people. I found support, tips, and a shoulder when I needed it, and a good laugh over other people’s experiences too. They got me, and I understood their journey too. Where they were headed, I had already been and I could give words of advice. I also found some wonderful talent, authors that I probably would have never known about had I not sought out friends in the community. It’s nice because we all support each other. We can commiserate over editing, getting stuck on the last sentence, or staring at a blank page for hours, or that moment when we’ve accidentally forgotten to save our work or copy/pasted only to find it didn’t carry over. Quelle horreur!
Yes, we are a group of strangers who are only a face out there on a platform, but we all have the same passion to write, and that’s what makes us a true force, shared wins, burdens, and failures.
There is a certain comfort in knowing you’re not alone. That you truly belong.