On Being a Writer: Engage

I think sometimes people just don't get writers. Words can be a little scary. Words can seem simplistic.  Words can.....well, words can do anything.  And writers get that.

While at the Five Minute Friday Retreat, I was asked if there were any other writers that I knew and talked with.  They only one I could think of was a coworker friend that has begun to blog more regularly about her faith.  Other than that, I didn't really have any real life writer friends.

I've been blessed to find some amazing online communities that have welcomed me with open arms.

When I first started blogging, one of the first blog hops I found was MckMama's Not Me Monday.  It wasn't for writers, per se, but it was fun getting to know others through the shenanigans of motherhood.  I got a taste of the writing style of others. I was able to begin interacting with other bloggers, learning about the people that were out there in cyber space, those who could potentially become engaged with me here at A Life Worth Living.

I then found Wives of Faith, an amazing online Christian community for military spouses.  Sara Horn has done a fabulous job reaching out to other military spouses and connecting with them.  In doing so, she offers the opportunity to submit blog posts to Wives of Faith.

Through this, I have developed some online friendships with other military spouses.  We are able to share words to support and encourage one another.  We are also able to pray with one another and grow and strengthen our relationship with Christ by taking part in the Survival Sisters program.  Because of Sara and Wives of Faith, I got my first taste of writing for other audiences that didn't include my blog followers.

Through Wives of Faith, I was able to become part of Kori Yates' online community called Planting Roots.  Again, this Christian community connects military women and spouses through the Word of God.  I have been able to have posts published at Planting Roots as well. This community is very welcoming to women who have a desire to lift up one another who are experiencing the ups and downs of military life.

And let's not forget the Five Minute Friday community.  I think this community has challenged me the most.  With a one word prompt and a timer set to five minutes, I desperately want to choose my response carefully.  Sometimes I get an immediate idea, and other times, I struggle to find the right words.  Either way, I think I've grown because of the Five Minute Friday community.  I've been encouraged by both reading other posts and through the comments left by others.

But perhaps the biggest impact from the Five Minute Friday community came from the Five Minute Friday Retreat.  When I first read that Kate and her crew were planning this, I was giddy about it, which is so unlike me because meeting strangers is not my cup of tea.  But the feeling just wouldn't go away.  After a lot of prayer and encouragement from my husband, I signed up and attended the first every Five Minute Friday Retreat.

To make a long story short (If you want the long version, just click HERE), I was forever changed by attending the retreat.  I found my people.  I found the people who "got me." Because really, they were just like me no matter how different we were.  We all had the same hopes and dreams when it came to writing and the sharing of our words.  It was simply a blessing.  I may never meet these ladies again in real life, but they will always be a part of me. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of them.  I'm grateful for what they shared. I'm grateful for the love and encouragement they gave.  I am thankful for each of them.

It is so important that writers find those connections, people that they can encourage and challenge. People that get what is like to be a lover of words.  I am thankful for the opportunities that online communities provide for people like me, those that want to grow as a writer and take advantage of the power of words to have an impact on the world.

Send, Submit, Publish, Print

When I first started writing, I had no idea who my audience would be.  I only new one other blogger personally. Kim and I were college friends, and I learned about blogging through her.  From then on, I searched out and read other blogs for two reasons:

1. To read
2. To be read

My thinking was a that if I visited other blogs and left comments, that maybe those people would visit my blog and share it others.

As time passed, I came across Wives of Faith, an online community for military spouses.  As a new military spouse, I fell in love with WoF and made some fabulous online friends.  I've written a couple of blog posts that have been published on the website.  You can read them HERE.  It was exciting to write something that could possibly be published somewhere other than my blog.  However, it was nerve wrecking waiting to hear whether or not my blog post was good enough.  I felt like it it wasn't, then I wasn't a good writer.  I've overcome that to a point and realize that my topic of choice may not be what they were looking for at that time.

Eventually, I joined a Bible study group through WoF.  Not to study the Bible, but to write a Bible study.  I felt this was an amazing opportunity.  My topic was close to my heart because it related to the deployment my family was experiencing.  Unfortunately, it took longer than I anticipated to write the study.  I was new at this type of writing, my husband was home from deployment, and I became pregnant and had a miscarriage.  I finally got my study completed and turned in.  However, I don't know what's happened with it.  I never heard back from anyone in the group. I didn't get feedback on it.  Needless to say, I was quite disappointed.  I'm still hoping that it's in the archives somewhere and will make it online or in print sometime.  As a military spouse, I realize that things happen, priorities change, and sometimes things just don't work out the way we planned.

Later, I was fortunate enough to complete the Olive Drab Pom Poms Bible study with Kori Yates.  Shortly after that, Kori launched a new online community called Planting Roots.  I was also given the opportunity to submit blog post for this blog as well.  Feel free to read them HERE.  One of my favorite submissions was chosen to publish.  Because Planting Roots is also a Christian military community, I was really nervous about this piece. It related more to love and marriage than military topics.  However, I was pleasantly pleased with how it turned out because it connected my love of love songs with the love of Christ.  You can read Living a Love Song HERE.

These are the only two places I have submitted work to.  I became a bit giddy when I saw that my favorite Christian radio station had an online blog.  My brain got to work thinking of possibilities, but I have yet to submit anything.

My wish is to have the time (unlimited time) to really dive into writing.  To put my heart and God's heart together and write.  Although I'd love to publish a book, I'm content with this little space.  It's working for me right now.  I do have a desire for more though, and maybe I will recognize the time for more, but not force that time to come sooner.  I am looking for opportunities to write; it's just difficult working full time and raising little ones.  I tell my husband all the time to just get rich so I can write.  He says I need to write a book and then get rich, that way we can both do the other things we desire.

Whatever happens, I've discovered that writing is a part of me. I will write whether I'm sending, submitting, publishing, printing, or holding on to my words.  I'm grateful for the opportunities that online communities provide for women like me.

Living A Love Song

Last year, I "met" Kori Yates through a study of her book Olive Drab Pom Poms.  Shortly after that, she launched an amazing online ministry called Planting Roots.  This ministry is geared toward reaching military families with the Gospel.

I have had the privilege of having Kori and her team of amazing women share a couple of my blog posts.  My most recent one is called Living a Love Song.  I hope you will head over to Planting Roots to read it.

We Aren't Really Losers

I am so excited to tell you that I have my first guest blog post at Planting Roots today.  You can read about my journey through reading the Bible in one year.  I am hoping you can relate.  Don't forget to leave a comment with your thoughts.

Head on over and check it out!