By Jennifer Hallmark

Emotional highs and lows.  Ebb and flow. Good and bad times. Wax and wane.

All writers have them. One minute you’ve sold an article or wrote a magnificent sentence in the novel or your book has been nominated for an award.

The next, you’re reading another rejection email addressed to occupant, scrapping half of your novel because of plot issues, or you notice a scathing review on Amazon. Or maybe you’re struggling to write because you’re worried about a pandemic. (I never thought I would write those words.)

Many people who pen words are solitary creatures, leaving the computer only for a grocery run or to go to their regular job. You know, the one where you are actually paid? Now some of us may still be home from our regular job and finding it hard to focus.

Being a writer is a difficult profession. What can we do? Who can we turn to for help in the peaks and valleys?

#WritingCommunity to the rescue.

How does the writing community help?

1. 1. Other writers give encouragement both online and at conferences/meetings. I cannot stress enough the positive difference in my life when I started going to meetings, then attended my first writing conference. Just knowing other people saw the world as I did was life-changing. The positive feedback gave me the courage to continue.
   2. The writing community can support us through reviews, offering guest post spots, and by purchasing our books. I began my “hobby” by contacting a faith-based free article site and asking if I could upload an article. My first attempt online led to guest posts from other authors, much-needed thoughts on my articles, and even a guest column on an Australian on-line women’s magazine. The community proved invaluable when I released my first novel, Jessie’s Hope.
   3. An important part of writing is to find people who will offer feedback and accountability. When I first began, I thought highly of all my work. Then I joined a local writing group and an online critique group. Yes, there was pain involved when I shared my “darling” and found out it wasn’t as perfect as I thought. But growth occurred and I became a much better writer. Also, writer friends would occasionally check on me to see how I was doing.
   4. They can spread the word on social media. The community, especially on Twitter, shared my articles and book news and even added me to lists about writing. Facebook helped me connect with many people within my own community and share about book signings and nearby places to buy my book.

The writing community took my writing from hobby to career and I’ll always be grateful. I try to pay it forward by offering guest posts and interviews on both my blogs, whether a writer published or not. I share a lot on social media and try to offer feedback when asked. And now I’m working hard to encourage people during this crisis. Pushing past my own fears and paying it forward.

Click to tweet: Small acts of kindness. One writer to another. Help in navigating those deep, lonely valleys. A high-five from others while standing on the mountaintop. Both needed, both appreciated.

Thank you, #WritingCommunity!