From Netcasting to Networking
How a Writer's Group Helped my Writing
Published in The Advanced Christian Writer

Sitting with my fellow writers during our networking group, I pulled out an article about a deaf couple. Heartwarming and complete with pictures, the piece chronicled their struggle to live in a hearing world. I started to read…until I remembered that in an upcoming paragraph, I had spelled out how the couple had received Christ. My hands trembled. I thought about skipping the section but then I remembered that everyone else had his or her own copies.

Why was I so worked up about reading the gospel to a group of people? No one in the assembly is a professing Christian, except me. We gather for one reason, to share our current projects with each other. Today, I thought I might be breaking an unwritten code. I had been in a hurry that morning and grabbed an issue of our organization’s magazine off my desk. Since we work several months ahead, I hadn’t reacquainted myself with current material.

When I finished reading, I expected the worst.

“ The struggle was really there for them,” one woman said, “but you also showed that their joys and fears are universal.”

“ I was surprised at how they viewed their inability to hear. They both seemed so able to cope,” commented another writer.

The observations continued. No one said anything about the religious aspect, but

I knew, however inadvertently, the seed had been planted. I generally don’t read such strong religious pieces because I believe the writer’s mantra, “show, don’t tell” applies to my faith in some ways. But, I did find that I didn’t commit the unpardonable sin when I shared the gospel. I just hid the “seed” in a bit of jam. As time has gone on, the other members have asked me to pray about a struggling family members or friends facing cancer or worse. I’ve become the go-to person when someone needs encouragement.

Engraved on the Soul
I originally wandered into this group, because I wanted to network with people who loved writing for its own sake. I was so used to people saying when they heard I was an editor of a religious monthly magazine, “Great. Now, let’s talk about what I do,” (maybe that wasn’t their exact wording, but that’s how it felt!), so I was surprised at how eager these writers were to learn about my ongoing responsibilities.

These people have writing engraved on their very soul. They wake thinking of starting angles for a story, they pursue their daily routines working through dialogue, and they consider plots, conflict, plus how to get rid of useless words as they go to bed. It comforted me that I wasn’t alone.

POV Progress
From my African American friend who has one grown step-child and three of her own, to a Jewish woman who writes at least 7,000 words of Western fiction a day, to everyone in between, their backgrounds differ from mine. They transport me into their worlds, and I realize my own point of view is strengthened for the future. This is more intimate knowledge then I could ever get from dry research or perusing the Internet, and while both of those things are essential, their POV helps me see the world with new eyes.

The Rejection Rift
A few months before I joined, I had gotten to the point where the rejections (for other magazine articles, books etc.) had pushed me into a depression that threatened to swallow me alive. I had stopped telling my friends about the queries I was sending out and the form rejection letters giving birth to still more in my mailbox. Most of my friends were not writers and while they tried to understand, they just didn’t. Where I had formerly put in several writing hours a week in addition to my full-time job, for almost a year, I had stopped writing on my own time.

My writer’s group helped me see that instead of falling into the abyss of depression, I had really sunk into the abyss of self-pity. Instead of looking at rejection as a painful but necessary path to publication, I had started to take it personally. I had begun to think such damaging thoughts as “Why me? and “Why should I even try, it’s not worth it anyway,” progressing quickly to the worst one in Pity Party Pit, “Poor me.”

I now understood my self-pity quagmire had no end except for more of the same. During one meeting, I shared these feelings and received unbelievable support. The other members had also stumbled through this valley, and they knew what it was to clear away brush and timber, only to find brush and timber still ahead. I’ve carried their helpful comments from that moment in a secret compartment of my heart. When I’m tempted to fall back, I remember what they said.

Now, I sometimes bring my rejection letters to the group. We pass them around and my friends bolster me with comments such as, “Remember that famous author (insert name here) who was rejected 278 times before his (or her) first book was published?”. Once again, I slip into the role I know I’ll glory in the rest of my life. A writer who writes because that is who I am.

Recently, the woman in charge told me, “You contribute a lot to our group. I hope you feel like you get something out of all of us.”
If she only knew.

Contribute More to Your Writer’s Group

Bring treats. Tiny wrapped candy bars work, but bagels and coffee are always appreciated.

Ask to invite a writing friend or local writer to speak. Recently, Julie-Allyson Ieron, (her latest book, Conquering the Time Factor, Christian Publications) spoke about some writing tips that have helped her become the writer she is. Since she’s a believer, I was happy she also mentioned her faith during her talk.
Read different types of pieces. I don’t read a religious piece every time. Mix it up.

Try writing something different. Show that you are a master of many styles.
Don’t be afraid to share. Explain how personal events in your life are affecting your writing. Often, these are times when you can subtly talk about your faith.