Not long ago I decide to redirect my career and try something I’ve always wanted to do; write and illustrate children’s books. I had some skills that I could use to launch my journey and believed that with a little info gathering and promotion I could easily captain this ship.
I did well at first. With coffee and keyboard at hand I steered my work with great diligence. My brain stormed with ideas and adventures. I was heading toward success. (Wherever that is!)
After a while though, the horizon began to get a little foggy. And soon enough my sails began to sag. I came to fear the unknown of my uncharted course.
There I was in a sea of ideas and incomplete projects. Slowly, slowly, not getting anything done. Slowly, slowly, just drifting along. Would the fog ever lift? Would the wind ever pick up again? I needed help. I didn’t want to remain aimlessly adrift.
By invitation, I began to participate in a writing critique group, the Wordsmiths. I was nervous at first since I am a new writer with minimal experience. I’ve only been a member for a short while, but already their help has been immensely beneficial.
The Wordsmiths have been my beacon in the fog. They generously share their experience and skill, and their suggestions point my writing in the direction it needs to go.
Our monthly meetings are like seeing the comfort of dry land. I need a deadline and I look forward to docking my boat. It means I can recover from the queasiness of choppy waters (and choppy sentences) or share the excitement of the excursion at sea.
But most of all, the Wordsmiths have been the wind in my sails. Their encouraging words have not only kept me afloat, but have also moved me along. They inspire me to return to the keyboard once again.
If at times you feel like I do, a little boat struggling on the sea, get hooked up with a critique group! Find others who write about similar things and start sharing your work. Start one of your own if you need to!
Bless each other with encouragement along the way. It’s what keeps your boat afloat!
Contributed by Veronica Walsh
