The Writing Mirage

Do you know the mirage? The place that looks like a gorgeous lake, but is really a glorified puddle?

This is everything we post on social media-the fancy writer gig, our new book, and all the writer activities we’re apart of. It’s all nice and sparkling. Everyone watching wants to jump right in.

The problem with mirages is that they’re not real. Perhaps, all of that is true. But it puts observers on the outside, it separates us, and makes us feel alone.

If you pan out from the image, you’d see that we’re all watching the mirage-that vast magical fantasy of what being a writer is supposed to be. When we step back and see it’s just a rain puddle, we also realize we’re not alone. We’re all striving for the same thing. We’re all trying to focus on our writing and have something worthy to post on Instagram. We want to be published and have a byline too.

I feel that.

It’s every conference where the published authors smile and take pics like they’re a part of some exclusive group. It makes you feel like a dorky tween again vying for a spot in the cool girl’s club.

Well if you feel like that, let me tell you that this community I’m building wants none of that. This is about being brave and writing. It’s not always about getting published. This might be your end goal, but it’s not what’s going to keep you afloat. If you’re writing, you belong.

If you’re phasing out at the window dreaming up your next project or reading about writing, you’re still doing it.

You don’t have to publish a book to be worthy of being here.

You just have to write.

You just have to believe and work, and feel like quitting, and write again.

You may be collecting more rejections than acceptance letters, but that’s okay too. In fact, if that’s you, then I know you belong here.

This is us in the trenches before the awards and the Instagram worthy posts. This is us trying to live our writing dreams by doing the work.

And I’m so glad you’re here.

If you feel like this is true for you, I have a newsletter specifically for you-a writer. Whether you’re not quite ready to call yourself that or you’ve been querying for years, I want to invite you in. It’s where we’ll get to know each other, I’ll share writer stories, information on how you can begin entering contests, applying for real writing jobs and feeling more confident and courageous in your writing abilities.

I believe in you. I’ve met you at the local writer’s groups I’ve started. I’ve been you. 

At the beginning of my writing journey, I had no connections and knew not a single published writer. I went from working in a job I hated to landing my first full-time copywriting gig. The whole time I felt alone, insecure and unworthy of the title, “writer.” I found my way by putting myself out there in person and online. That was over a decade ago. Now I feel like it’s my duty to support and encourage writers like yourself, get bold and brave, and become the writer they’ve always dreamed of being when they were kids. Let’s do this together. 

Don’t let rejection stop you.