Finding Your Peeps

 

Well over ten years ago, when I was an aspiring author (and I’d been aspiring for quite some time at that point), my agent at the time encouraged me to read a book called Petticoat Ranch by Mary Connealy. I’d never heard of Mary, at that time, but my agent thought that her style might appeal to me because I enjoyed writing snappy dialogue, humor, and adventure in my books.

I'd been trying to get published for about five years at that time and was pretty alone on the journey. As a mom who worked outside the home and had five young children, writing groups (if there had even been some nearby) weren't an option.

Sure, writing a book only involved me and my characters, but continuing on the writing JOURNEY required more than that. We needed community.

So...I read Petticoat Ranch and loved it, then proceeded to do what any passionate reader who has just been blown away by a book does. I emailed Mary Conneally and proceeded to fangirl for a good three paragraphs. 

Being the gracious lady Mary is, she emailed me back. We had a few exchanges, at which time she found out about all my aspiring and encouraged me to check out Seekerville.

That single connection led me on an amazing journey to find “my peeps”, my community.

Not only did I learn great information about the pre-published world, but I gained encouragement and understanding. In fact, I felt so connected that I even celebrated getting bossed around by Ruthy, on occasion. (I also might add that I was highly encouraged to read Julie Lessman's KISSING books and know swoon-inducing kisses could even show up in CHRISTIAN books).

These ladies and their guests UNDERSTOOD!

They knew the struggles and baby steps of trying to find where you belonged in the writing world. They understood the contest rotation and the pile of rejection letters. They "got" the loooong wait and the unanswered requests.

And through the world of Seekerville, I met other people in the comment section: Other strugglers, learners, readers, writers, and dreamers to build my community. 

To be honest, I don’t think I’d be in the same place in my writing life right now if it hadn’t been for co-travelers on this writing journey. They've been SUCH blessings to me.

So as you're looking for YOUR community, keep in mind there are different ways to build community.

Here are three different types of people that make up my writing journey.

1. People who are at the same place as you are or a little ahead. - The Seekers were ladies who’d been on the writing journey longer than me, so what they provided was a little bit of a road map for me. They offered helpful tips, but also truths I needed to hear to give me a more well-rounded perspective on this journey. Cinderella stories happen in the writing world, but they’re rare, so The Seekers helped me “train” for the marathon but HOPE for the sprint on the writing journey :)

2. People who are a little behind you in the journey - As Christians, it’s important for us to not only have people who mentor us, but to also take what we learn and mentor others. The writing journey is similar. There’s sometimes beautiful about taking the encouragement others have given me along the way and then passing that encouragement and knowledge to newer writers. It’s a mutual encouragement. AND it continues to build that community that we all need. 

3. People who cheer you on in the journey - Not everyone on our writing journeys will be writers. In fact, our writing group may include a WHOLE lot more readers than writers. I can’t tell you how very humbled I am for my Street Team. Some of these readers have been with me since I first became published in 2015. Having them cheer on my stories and listen to me share my struggles and victories, means so much to me.

So let me encourage you to find your people. Hang out on blogs, engage in reader/writer groups on social media, encourage and celebrate other writers (lots of times this will put you in the way of other people who love those writers too), and spend some time with those amazing readers. These things do not have to take a lot of time, but they can really make the journey much more amazing and sweet. 

And, even better, they build a community where we not only receive, but we have opportunities to give back.

Which...is kind of how Seekerville got started in the first place and I'm incredibly thankful for it.

How have you built your writing community? If you're a reader, what do you enjoy about the bookish communities in which you are involved?

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GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment below and have your name put in the drawing for a paper copy of my upcoming book, The Heart of the Mountains, which is releasing on July 1. (USA only)

To learn more about me and my books, check out my website at www.pepperdbasham.com