Writing can be a lonely endeavor when we let it become one. It’s easy to feel isolated, to feel like your words don’t matter and no one’s reading them. And when that happens, all too often the inspiration to write dries up. That’s a terrible thing. I believe there are amazing stories inside of each of us waiting to be told–stories that speak truths of who we are and how we see the world. Stories that matter. 

It’s a shame to silence them.

I’ve been serious about my writing for nearly a decade now. I enjoyed writing and telling stories all through growing up but I let my practicing of my craft go by the wayside. And then, once I decided to really apply myself to growing as a writer, I shunned writing groups by and large, too scared to share my work. I got by with a few beta readers, one of whom became one of my story-shining CPs.

And I did get by. I learned a lot, and I worked hard, but not nearly to the point I have lately.

In the last year and a half or so, I’ve become incredibly productive in part because I’ve been phenomenally inspired by the amazing writers who make up my support system. 

For me, inspiration is tied to the books I’ve been reading and to my emotional state. When I’m stressed, inspiration often dries up, while if I’m comfortable and confident, I can sling ideas around free for the taking. That means self-care is really important for me. Yes, I still have to do the work, but part of that work is giving myself the best chance to be inspired. 

And that’s where my community comes in. My cheerleaders, my pillow-fort, my squad. They pick me up when I’m down and lost, and they cheer with me when I win or when I’m confident. 

So how do you get one of these amazing circles of friends yourself? 

That’s the meat of what I want to talk about today, because there’s absolutely no need to be jealous, and too many times I hear people bad mouth these teams, or feel jealous or sad. But here’s the thing: my bunch may not fit your needs, and your bunch may not fit another person’s needs. That doesn’t mean there’s anything cliquey going on (although that can happen, of course). It just means you have time to find your writing home. 

I have a few circles. Some are for me to encourage others and receive encouragement by seeing others getting words down. Some I use to motivate me by expecting me to have something to submit for critique, and I grow as I give critique, too. (When in critique groups, always plan to give more to the group than you get.) Some are where I shout out about awesome opportunities in the writing world, or brainstorm or world build or character build. And then a very select few I go to when I’m vulnerable. When I need a lift, when I need a hug. These are the groups I know will never stab me in the back.

How many do you need? It’s totally dependent on you! But at least you need the last kind- that circle of people who will support you and never turn on you. And that’s hard to find. And it’s scary. But it’s gold once you have your writing family.

To form your own writing fam, it’s terrifyingly simple, but difficult. You have to put yourself out there. You have to try groups out and see where you fit. And sadly, that means you’ll find groups that don’t fit you. They aren’t active enough, or they’re too positive, or not positive enough, or not experienced enough yet, or too advanced and you feel left out, or maybe your personalities just don’t mesh. All of these situations can happen absolutely benignly, and I’ve seen them happen several times. Feeling bitter about it won’t help–chalk it up to a simple “not quite right” and move on. (Or, stay for other reasons, but keep looking for that close inner heart-circle.) Your people are out there!

I love events and competitions like Nanowrimo, RevPit, and Writer In Motion. They are amazing opportunities to find community. You get out what you put in, though, too. So if you come in ready to fight, or pick nits, or only want adoration, they won’t do a ton for you. (Side note: Good critiques can be tough, but a tough critique does not equal a good critique). If you come in looking to give more than you get, lift others up too, and learn all that you can soak up, you have a much better chance of finding your troupe. You’re also far more likely to get a ton out of it, even if you don’t win the competition, and for far longer than the event goes for. 

I have four CPs right now (I know, right? I’m so lucky! They’re each amazing wonderful people and phenomenal writers). One I found through Nanowrimo, one though RevPit, one through Twitter in general but I interacted with her mainly from RevPit and Writer In Motion, and another through my writing groups on Discord.

My CPs and I poke at each other to do writing competitions, to stretch our skills with writing exercises, and trade insights and reading lists. This is in addition to the brilliant stories and synopses I get to read from them and the amazing insight they give me on my work, and in addition to the brainstorming and plot-hole-filling and character-motivation-shining sessions we have. It’s amazing to have people to bounce ideas off of and to encourage each other on. Again, you have to come with the mindset of learning and giving though.

Not all of my heart-circle is CPs though, either. Some people I know will never love my work because it’s just not right for them but they still are always there for support and encouragement when I need them, as I try to be for them. They’re still part of my heart-circle. You can find CPs and your writing team in general anywhere. And they’re an amazing resource to be able to lean on.

These days, I’m part of several writing groups that I’m active on nearly every day, including one that I run critique groups on nearly weekly (which is amazing), and nearly daily I hang out with my Writer In Motion friends, even though our Writer In Motion was a year ago. I also have gotten involved with Write Hive in my quest to give back to other writers, just like older more experienced writers helped me when I was beginning my journey. 

So in short, to inspire you, of course, reading is amazing, but I’m sure you’ve already seen that advice. Don’t forget to build your community, whether you’re a writer or a reader, to inspire you to keep reaching greater heights!

Looking for opportunities to build your own writing community? Remember to go into these with the intent to give, not just get.

Writer In Motion — starting back up in a week (August 2020)

WriteHive

Quillhaven Discord Writing Group

Beta-reading Matchmaker

Through this process of taking my writing seriously, I’ve learned a thing or two about beta readers. I wanted to make it easy for people to find each other, to find beta readers who might fit for their story, so I made the Beta Reader Matchmaker–but I’ve learned it requires some explanation.

The Matchmaker spreadsheet has two sheets–one for readers and one for writers.

Your best bet is to look through both sheets. On the “Willing to read” sheet, you’ll find people who are… yeah, willing to read other people’s work. It’s a good idea to check with them and see if they have work to potentially swap with, too. On the “Looking for readers” sheet, you’ll find writers, as well as the information about their story. Again, swapping stories is a great idea. To add your name, simply fill out the form(s) and your information will be added automagically!

Please, please, be safe. Vet your readers first–don’t just dump your story on them and run! Talk to them, discuss your work, provide them with a blurb, and then–And this is IMPORTANT–send them just the first page, OR first five pages OR first chapter before sending them your entire manuscript!

Readers, please remember that the books you read are the product of a lot of work from the author. Respect their copyright and be prepared for them to ask you questions before sending you a snippet. Remember that personal preference does not make a book bad and always refrain from personal attacks. However, DO tell them what you thought and how the book made you feel.

Readers and Authors can end the relationship at any point. Treat each other with respect.

Are you an author looking for a beta reader? Fill out this form with your manuscript’s details! It’s also a good idea to fill out the reader form too, for extra visibility.

Are you just looking to beta read? This form is for you. Thank you for volunteering your time to a writer- this is absolutely invaluable.

I’ve heard from some writers “Well, I don’t have time to read anyone else’s work.” In that case, this form is not for you. Your best bet is to find a paid beta reader, because if you’re not going to give your time in return, you’ll have to part with money. Be careful though, because paid betas can be shady. Also, it’s important to note, beta reading other writer’s works helps to improve your own writing. It’s a huge learning experience. Don’t miss out!

“But SK, I need a CP, not a beta reader.” Great point! Still, your best bet is to look at this sheet, and as your conversation moves along, ask if that person might be interested in a CP relationship down the road. Skipping beta reading and going straight to a CP relationship can work out for you, but it’s super risky skipping that step! It’s like going into business with someone without ever seeing how they work or what their strengths and weaknesses are. Like getting married without dating first.

My advice is to 1) talk to the person, see what their goals are. 2) Swap a page or first five pages. See if the writing style is compatible with what you like. You don’t want to CP (or beta read) with someone if you hate their writing style- that’s just simply not a good match. Then 3) Give them their feedback, and read through the feedback they gave you. Does it make sense? Do your critique styles mesh? Sometimes you’ll love a person’s writing but hate their critiquing style. That’s fine, it just isn’t a good match. Nothing wrong with either of you, but not a great relationship. Finally, 4) see if you’re about the same skill level. CP’s tend to be about the same skill level writing-wise, as well as being compatible with critique style and writing style. They get what each other are trying to say, and see the heart of the story, and they help each other bring that out. That’s the magic of critique partners.

Beta readers, while invaluable, may not hit all those marks, and there is nothing wrong with that. A person may be a cherished beta reader but just not be a great CP match for whatever reason. But you’ll know if your beta reader is CP material, and that relationship can grow and it can also change, just like any other relationship.

Beta readers, CPs, and critique groups are all important resources to use, and none are inherently better or worse than any others. They each serve a different function, and that’s the beauty of it!

I’m so honored to be able to share with you this upcoming book from the superbly talented Whitney Hill! She’s a wonderful member of the Writing Community, generously sharing her knowledge and lifting up others!

Take a look at her upcoming book!

Enter an urban fantasy world where elves, vampires, weres, djinn, and others maintain a precarious balance of power in North Carolina. Welcome to Otherside.

Private investigator and sylph Arden Finch is determined to come out of the shadows and practice her forbidden magic. There’s just one problem: the elves have a bounty on elementals like her.

When an elf hires Arden without realizing what she is, she seizes the chance to gain leverage in the dangerous world of Otherside⁠—even if it means risking exposure. But as the case grows more perilous, Arden draws the attention of the region’s deadliest power players.

Doesn’t that sound interesting? But check out this cover!

If you need this book, grab an ARC today from Whitney!

About Whitney:

Whitney Hill writes adult sci-fi and fantasy from her adopted home of Durham, North Carolina. Her worlds feature the diversity she has lived as a biracial woman of color and former migrant to Europe’s political and financial capitals. She draws on these life experiences to write characters finding or creating a place for themselves.

Outside of writing, she enjoys hiking in North Carolina’s many beautiful state parks and learning about world mythology.

Writing, as one of the members of my writing group so eloquently states, is hard.

On the one hand, how hard can it be? Even little kids will spout stories, dropping words like the pieces of cereal from their adorable sticky hands.

I think we writers are our own worst critics, and that can devastate the creative process. Who wants to create a piece of art, or take risks, when negative voices are hovering over your shoulders, screaming at you that you’re not good enough, you’ll never be good enough, your words are all trashy, no one wants to read them anyway, and you’re just wasting everyone’s time.

Here’s the thing. Those voices lie.

Writer In Motion is far more than a fun experiment to me. I’ve fallen in love with its mission, its purpose. To take the leap and produce and display something that I know is not ready, and to document every waffling step I take–sometimes in the wrong directions!–in my quest to make it better… This is not something that comes easily to me. I was raised with the view that you hide your weaknesses and doubts and what you don’t know.

This? This is way better. It’s truer, and I love to see the ripples from the brave souls who participate, putting their art and their process on display. I’ve seen numerous comments from people on the sidelines who have been affected by Writer In Motion, who have gained some confidence, who have realized that they are not alone. To them I say: I see you, and I hope you join us next time.

The Writer In Motion community is filled to the brim with some of the most amazing, supportive writers that I’ve ever had the fortune to meet. In the WIM chat, there were tears, there were agonizing worries, there were considerations of giving up. All the hallmarks of art, you know? And the response! Every single time, an outpouring of love and support and encouragement swept out to lift up these writers, to buoy them until they found their feet again. It was amazing to witness, to be a part of. To see the support, to see the courage as these writers picked themselves back up again, dusted off their inner doubts, and went on to craft absolute brilliance… I’m the lucky one, to get to see this.

This second round was so much harder for me personally. I came at it with confidence I lacked in the first round, comfortable in my process, assured that I’m not a hack. And then… the words wouldn’t flow. I stressed so hard! And I knew the problem, and I knew the solution, but I couldn’t do it.

Silly ol’ me decided I would pack my November full of stuff, because of course I can do it all, right! I wanted to do it all, and by golly I was going to. How hard could it be, right? After all, WIM is just 1k, and Nano is just 50k and last July I wrote 100k, so I had plenty of time to also edit a third story (150k) and listen to and make notes on my audiobook chapters for my narrator…. right?

Yeah sometimes I don’t make great decisions.

I ended up dropping the last two tasks by the wayside when it became clear that juggling all these things weren’t going to happen. My stubbornness kicked in though and I refused to drop Nano (I have my streak to consider, after all) or WIM (I mean, how can I say no to Space Cows)?

So I limped through on sprained creativity, without giving my muse time to rest and recover as I knew would be smart. This led to some backtracking, some decisions that didn’t work, and to me spending most of WIM sighing over why I didn’t love Space Cows 2 as much as I loved Space Cows 1 and whether or not it was all in my head and maybe I’m just crazy. But that’s ok, because these things happen. Deadlines happen. Real life stress happens. Sometimes your muse takes a vacation without giving you notice (honestly, how rude!).

And I did it! With the help of my amazing WIM tribe, I did it. I managed by the end to pay attention to my themes, to the feel of the story, and to the characters I’d created, and I let them flow. That’s the thing. Sometimes we feel like we’re writing in a vacuum, or we isolate ourselves to write. And that doesn’t need to happen. With the help of a community, we can find the gold that our own eyes are too close or too tired or too full of doubts to see, and we can dig that gold out for all to see.

Will I do four things again in November? Smack me if I try.

Do I regret participating in Writer In Motion again? NEVER. I got to know some amazing people, and I learned more about my limits. The only thing I regret is not having more time to pour over the various drafts from all the other people, though I was fortunate enough to swap drafts with several amazing people and read so many phenomenal stories.

So remember: the mistakes you make do not define you, whether they are in life or in writing and especially your first drafts. Keep revising, keep getting better. Keep learning.

After all, it’s Writer IN MOTION, not Static Writer.

I love getting feedback from beta readers and especially CPs, and it’s always a fun process to wade through and figure out what the sometimes opposing opinions mean.

Feedback can have so many varying emotional responses. I’ve laughed out loud, I’ve cried, I’ve wanted to throw things (not in this one!), etc. So I have gotten myself into the habit of reading the comments right away so that I don’t stress about “What if they hate it? Oh my goodness, I know they hate it. It’s awful. I should never show anyone my writing” before I even slip into the spiral. With my trusted CPs, to be honest, I read the comments less out of a “rip the bandaid off” thing, but instead because I can’t wait to sneak a peek at all the amazing ideas that I will get to implement! Trusted CPs are gold.

Look at all those marks! I love it!

After reading the feedback, I get up and do something. This movement allows me to express those emotions if need be and I can also get my brain churning in the background. I usually leave feedback to churn for at least a week but the time table for Writer In Motion is too quick for that, so I gave it a few days. Then I read back through the compiled notes, looking for things I absolutely agree with, things that disagreed with other comments, things that agreed with other comments, etc. Everything gets looked at and considered, even things I don’t agree with. Especially things I don’t agree with.

I was super lucky to receive a comment that clarified for me exactly what I felt was wrong in my story, so I addressed that right away, cutting the head and tail off my story BEFORE my typical next step of placing all the comments from CPs that I felt needed more consideration or that I agreed with and that were NOT compliments into my copy. (I love compliments, and they are a necessary part of critiquing, but once I read through I generally don’t need to keep them unless I think there’s a discrepancy. This stage is all about fixing what’s broken, and to do that you have to shine a light on it). I lopped off the head and tail before bringing in the comments because… why bring in comments on pieces that were no longer going to be there? Here’s what it looked like after this step:

Next I work on the easy stuff and the things that multiple people agreed on first. If multiple people are saying it, even if I don’t agree with it, there’s probably something wrong. And in this case, it was the Cow’s interiority. I had several comments along the lines of not being able to connect with the Cow, or not understanding the Cow’s reactions, as well as a drop in tension. These two things are directly related to each other, the one causing the other, so I knew it needed fixing. By lopping off the head and tail, I had more words to play with, and then it was a matter of trying to squeeze every last breath out of the words for interiority, connection, and tension.

Some places, I just couldn’t get the words to work the way I wanted them to. That required switching to a new blank text and rewriting portions until they were streamlined the way I wanted and stronger than what I had, and then patching those in to the rest of the story. 

Once I had addressed every comment I agreed with, I was at a word count of 1064! Ack! Time to go through and get rid of unnecessary bits, including potentially things that make the story more complicated than it needs to be. Yes, Whales, that means you have to go. Again. Some of my favorite phrases also needed to go, unfortunately. They simply couldn’t pull their weight in a piece so short.

After going through multiple times to get to 1k, I actually hit the target dead on! Time to stop for the day and look at it for the last few passes before putting it on the blog. Those last few passes mostly consisted of going through and smoothing sentences, making sure there’s clarity and making sure the body language choices I was using are the best ones for the job. 

So, without further ado, Space Cows 2: Draft 3!

Splash! 

You drop into a marsh. A bellow escapes your throat as you flounder to find footing. Green plants, blue sky—except where thunderclouds are rolling in—and brown dirt surround you. A hill rises from the edge of the marsh, and the clouds above are lit in flashes. The Beacon with which the settlers had signaled for help. 

Beside you, your Wolf “partner” struggles, the Matter Transportation Device clamped in his jaws. He goes under, then fights to the surface, ears laid back. Your stomach twists. The Wolves nearly stranded you to be torn apart by monsters, but if he drowns with the Matt, you’ll be stuck here forever. If you lose the Matt, you’ll never get home.

“Climb on my back,” you grumble.  

The Wolf pants. His claws dig into your hide. You try not to flinch. Acting like prey only encourages the Wolf’s cruelty.

The marsh mud sucks at all four hooves as you slog toward the hill and the flashing Beacon. When you finally meet dry land, the Wolf drops to his own paws and shakes himself, and you do likewise. He clutches the Matt, his eyes ringed with white. Is he… frightened?

“Come on, we need to find the Beacon.” You move to pass him.

“We’re stuck here, you stupid Cow.”

You freeze, waiting for the next words to fall from his muzzle, dreading and hating them before they’re even born. 

“I hung on to it. But the water… Just look!” He thrusts the Matt in your face. “Do you see any lights?”

No cheerful glow—just a dead metallic box. The Matt is broken. You stamp the dirt beneath your hooves, reassuring yourself that there is something solid in the universe. 

“We can’t get back.” The Wolf’s bitter tones slice at you.

You breathe through your panic. The settlement surely has supplies. Maybe you  two   can fix the Matt. “We’ll figure it out. The Beacon is still out there.”

“They’re not going to send anyone after us. We had the only working Matt.” He lobs it at you, and you flinch when it hits your sensitive muzzle. 

The words dry in your throat. Every Cow knows to stay calm around a Wolf, no matter how much they want to run. Once your racing heart and trembling limbs are under control, you pick up the Matt and head toward the settlement.

“We’re stuck here!” he shouts, as if you haven’t understood.

You keep a tight lid on the panic. The only chance of getting home is checking the settlement for supplies. “I’m still going to do my duty. I may be just a stupid Cow, but I’m not afraid of hard work. I’ll figure out a way home on my own if I have to.”

You were given a mission: investigate the Beacon and come home. And that’s exactly what you intend to do. 

The Beacon lights the storm clouds above a settlement on a cliffside, crisp against the tossing ocean. The tall metal fence surrounding it glows in the afternoon sun, rusted though it is by the salt air. The gate creaks as a settler pushes it open. More fill the space behind him, so similar in form to the monsters from the previous planet. Humanoid. You shiver. 

“The Wolves are here!” The gatekeeper flaps hairless arms. “And they brought…” He furrows his brow. “…food?”

“Might as well,” the Wolf says with a lolling tongue. “Since I can’t return to my ship.”

The gate clangs shut, displaying a snarling wolf carved on the inside. Terror slams through you. You are not prey! The Wolf will not show mercy. Do the settlers worship Wolves? Will they follow his lead, or can they be reasoned with?

“But the Beacon!” you shout to the settlers, desperate to stall. 

“Yes, we lit it as instructed when the water purifier broke. See?” The person leads you to a large machine—a water desalinator.

The Wolf crowds behind you, flashing teeth. “No need to worry about that now.”

“We’re supposed to help you.” You stamp, whirling to face the Wolf. “At least let me try to fix it.” 

“You can fix it? The Wolves always fix things.” Surprise fills the settlers’ faces.

“I can.” You glare at the Wolf as he slinks away toward the larger group. 

“We’ll give you until evening,” the settlers agree. 

Your blood rushes in your ears. At least it’s still inside. You crouch by the machine, pulling off the side panel. The nearby marsh must be fed by a freshwater source, given its smell. Even if not, there are other ways of getting salt out of water for the people. You don’t care, not really. Not while trapped inside a fence with creatures looking at you like dinner. 

The collection basin of the desalinator is rusted, with a gaping hole. You have no metal to replace it. Tears well up. You’ll be slaughtered and eaten. 

A wire catches your eye. You grab the Matt and peer inside the case. Dusk is settling, but the sun has dried it. If you can splice a new wire, the desalinator could power the Matt. You don’t have to be dinner. A rock enables you to pluck the power cable out from the Matt and peel back the casing. 

“Time’s up: the people are hungry,” the Wolf says. 

You hunch over, pulling back the coating of the desalinator’s power cable. With the rock, you mash the new wire with the old to splice it. 

The Wolf’s paw lands on your shoulder. “What are you…”

“Not such a stupid Cow.” You keep the Matt away from him. “I’m going home.”

“Let’s go then!” The Wolf’s eyes gleam. 

“You were going to let them eat me!”

“Come on, Cow, it was just a joke.” He shrugs with a friendly smile and wagging tail. 

You narrow your eyes. “Fine. I have a joke of my own.” 

As he opens his mouth, you press the button, Matt’ing safely back up to the ship.