Thursday, April 18, 2013

Thursday's Children ~ Inspired by Other Writers

There's the age old advice that you can't write unless you read. All writers need to read, but all readers don't need to write...or something like that. Anyway, I am definitely inspired by other writers today, but not in the "read all the things" way.

I am inspired by other people energetically going after their dreams and pursuing a craft that none of us can do alone. We need readers, editors, test readers, friends, and we need other writers.

All of us at the University of Wisconsin Writers' Institute had personal stories to tell. We shared, we laughed, we cried, we bonded. We saw old friends and met new ones.

I, personally met all new friends, as I didn't know anyone going into this. That is the value of going to a conference filled to the brim with your peeps.

We all need to do this. Whether we write novels, poetry, non-fiction, or we build furniture, or collect cars....

We need to have a sense of belonging and spend time with our peeps.

Find a conference, a club, a meeting, anything that collects a gathering of your peeps. If you don't have one in your area, make one.

Remember the movie, Field of Dreams? If you build it, they will come? Do it!

A small word of warning; be prepared for the "let down effect". I am already experiencing the frustration which comes from leaving an amazing group of people, and from being surrounded by all that creative energy. If I could come up with a way to bottle that and sell it at cons, I would be a very wealthy woman. For now, I will try to contain and maintain that energy by keeping in touch with the friends I made, and hopefully going to more cons! 

Being around your peeps will totally enliven you for a good long while to keep doing what it is that you love to do.

It will strip away your fear and validate your passion. We are not alone!

Please, keep sharing! This is a blog hop hosted by Rhiann Wynn-Nolet and Kristina Perez. Please visit other Thursday's Children to let them know they are not alone!

14 comments:

  1. That sense of kinship is certainly one of the inspiring and wonderful things about Thursday's Children--and why I keep coming back!

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    1. Thursday's Children is a creativity life saver! It has certainly connected me with a lot of new people. And I am grateful for each and every one of them stopping by my blog! :)

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  2. Yay, other writers!

    I'm attending my first ever conference next week, and I couldn't be more excited. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Oh next week! I blundered on your blog and said next year. Ooops! You'll have a blast! And you can leave any shyness at the door, because you're with your peeps. ;) (I never thought I would be such an extrovert! LOL)

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  3. Sounds like you had a wonderful time at the conference! Someday I'd love to attend a writer's conference or workshop, it sounds super-inspiring : )

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    1. Oh yes, do go to a conference! It's a must have experience! :) Hopefully you won't have to travel far to get to one. I can't find my source with the awesome list of conferences right now, but I bet if you start googling, you will find a ton! :D

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  4. Great post! Conferences are such fantastic fuel for the writerly soul!

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    1. Thank you! Oddly, I am finding that being with my "old" group of friends was more reviving, but I think that's because meeting new ones takes a lot of energy from an introvert like me. :)

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  5. Local writer meetups (via meetup.com) are also a great way to stay connected with the other writers in your community. I've found them to be a place to provide inspiration from others and even become a bit of a mentor yourself!

    Unlike a writer's conference though, you won't always be connecting with super-passionate writers. Sometimes you'll meet with hobbyists or those who "would like to write more", so there's always a danger.

    Thanks for sharing this!

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    1. You're welcome. :) I do hope to find a local group...or keep in touch with the new friends I've made. I hope to put together an online critique board as well. All in good time. :)

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  6. If you ever figure out a way to bottle creative energy, I will worship you forever! :D

    But I agree - there's something about being with people who truly "get" you and your journey that inspires like nothing else. I'm so glad you loved your first conference. You know...WI isn't that far from MI. I might have to look into this one next year! :)

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    1. Yes! I hope to meet up even if it's not at a conference. I have learned there are other cons that aren't nearly as expensive, so that's my next avenue for exploration. I will let you know what I find out.

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  7. It is a really wonderful thing belonging to a group of writers whether that's online via blogs and Twitter or even better face to face. Sounds like you had an amazing time with a great bunch of writers.

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    1. There were a lot of passionate people and a lot of people who hopefully will want to keep in touch. It's also a lot of information to process, and if the people I met are anything like me, we've all sort of gone into hiding to either work diligently on our craft or hibernate with our new information.
      I think it is going to take awhile to get back in touch with many of the people I met. :)

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