Reach Out and Touch Your Writer Tribe! By Tina Radcliffe

Have you noticed that we’ve become a touchless society?

What happened to eye contact? Non-verbal communication? Sharing a laugh with your ears instead of LOLing our way through life? When was the last time you had the comforting hand touch or the warm hug of a writer friend to share any of the spectrum of emotional ups and downs of the writing life?   

Failure to thrive has been linked to lack of touch and emotional engagement. That means that while it’s fine and dandy to have a close relationship with thousands of followers on social media, to thrive, really thrive, we need to connect one-on-one. 

That just doesn’t happen via email or text or even with FaceTime.

Your writing tribe provides connection in a virtual and digital world, but it’s more important than ever to find that real-world connection. Tribes don’t make us whole or complete us. What’s inside of us makes us whole. That said, I encourage you to find an opportunity to meet with your tribe in real time.

What is a tribe? Jeff Goins provides a free book on the topic here. For the purposes of this post, I’m talking about your people. People with the same goals and visions for their writing. Like-minded people, you connect with on a spiritual and mental level. You don’t have to have the same belief system but you get each other in regard to your writing. These are not your fans or your family. I am referring to your peers. YOUR PEEPS.

An amazing thing happens when you meet with your people. A buzz of refreshing, excitement and enthusiasm happens. BTW, if this does not occur with your tribe, you should ditch that tribe.

Conference season is upon us. From now through late fall, organizations such as RWA (Romance Writers of America), ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and their local chapters will be offering opportunities to attend conferences that range in size and price point from modest to more expensive.

I highly recommend starting out small. Look up your local ACFW or RWA chapters. Get on their mailing list. Check monthly to find out when special programs are scheduled. Most will be open to the public for a slightly higher fee. Also, most of these organizations will allow you to attend one or two of their monthly meeting free before you have to join.

Where to find those local meetings? Here’s a resource list for you:

RWA Chapters here.
ACFW Chapters here.

Last year I created a list of conferences for the Seekerville writing blog and it’s still available in the archives.  

Poets & Writers provides a list of literary events under Find Your Community.

Conferences or workshops may not be in your budget for this year, but start thinking about ways that you can get to those real-time events.

In my early conference days, I asked for cash gifts for all holidays (Groundhog Day present-YES!) and applied them toward my conference fund.

Get creative with ways to get yourself to your tribe. I knew I’d made it the day I could book a hotel for conference and not have four other roommates. But you do what you have to do to get yourself to your tribe when you are starting out. 

Real-time is more important than just connecting physically. It’s important to connect spiritually and mentally.

Meeting face-to-face with an editor, agent, mentor or other publishing professional provides you with priceless mileage. Networking has benefits that provide ROI (return on investment) for many years. And remember that the magic can happen anywhere at a conference, in an elevator, a cab, a restaurant. However, you have to show up for that to happen. 

I don’t attend conferences every year, but when I do, me, the non-hugger looks for opportunities to embrace my peeps. This year I’ll be at RWA Denver, ACFW Nashville and Put Your Heart in a Book, in New Jersey. You can also find me at my local RWA chapter meetings, Valley of the Sun Romance Writers or my ACFW local chapter, Christian Writers of the West.

What about you? Where can I find you for a hug, some non-verbal communication or a laugh? What conferences and workshops do you recommend?

Originally from Western, N.Y., Tina Radcliffe left home for a tour of duty with the Army Security Agency stationed in Augsburg, Germany, and ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. From there she moved to Colorado. A freelance writer for over twenty years, Tina is an RWA Honor Roll member, a two-time RWA Golden Heart finalist, two-time ACFW Carol Award finalist, and a 2014 ACFW Carol Award winner. She currently resides in Arizona, where she writes fun, heartwarming romance. Find all her social media links on her website, where you can also sign up for her newsletter which specializes in fun and free goodies. www.tinaradcliffe.com

Additionally, Tina has a new initiative launching in June of 2018. The Writer's Inside Edition is a once a month newsletter for fiction writers of all levels that brings you curated links to: The best publishing news on the web. Contest, conference & workshop listings. Writing opportunities scoured from the web and inside sources. First notification of enrollment in her workshops and classes. Monthly writing world articles created just for the Inside Edition Writers. Critique opportunities and writing challenges. Best all, there is no charge, and it’s free from annoying promo.

Sign up here

Falling for the Cowgirl (Big Heart Ranch Book 2)

 

She won the job…

 

Can he win her heart?

 

Hiring Amanda “AJ” McAlester as his assistant at the Big Heart Ranch isn’t foreman Travis Maxwell’s first choice—but his sisters insist she’s perfect for the job. And AJ’s determined to prove she’s just as qualified as any man. But with money on the line, AJ and her innovative ideas could put him at risk of losing everything…including his heart.

 

Preorder link  http://a.co/exgvsmo

 

 

The Diet of a Writer: What Feeds Us – Part II by Susan Tuttle

Last month Susan Tuttle's post was part one of The Diet of a Writer. I found it fascinating and I know from the number of comments many of you did as well. This month she talks about feeding our craft. So take a minute to step back and read Part II of her great post.

So last month we talked about the treats we like to eat while writing. I loved hearing everyone’s—both healthy and sweetJ Today I want to talk about how do we feed our craft? We should always be pushing ourselves to learn more about this field. Each book we write should be better than the last. How do we do that? Here’s a few ways I’ve learned:

Attend conferences. Big or small, attend a conference that has classes you can learn from. Great conferences will teach you not only new writing skills, but social media, marketing, editing, and even how to pitch to agents and editors. A few of the best conferences are:

• American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW)  
• Breathe
• Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference

Read/own books on our craft. Here are a few really good ones:

• Make a Scene by Jorden Rosenfeld
• Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell (anything by him, really)
• The Emotion Thesaurus by Ackerman & Puglisi
• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne & King
• The Chicago Manual of Style

Submit to other writers

• It is IMPERATIVE that you find a group (or even one other writer) that you trust and respect. A person who not only shares your heart for story, but who can speak the truth in love. This is the person who will help shape your story, tell you what is missing, and talk you off of a ledge.
• Know when to listen to their voice or your gut. I follow the “Rule of Three”. One person says something, I can choose to ignore it. Two people point it out, I need to take notice and contemplate changing it. But if three people say it, then I know it needs to be changed.

Submit to readers

• Have beta readers who can read what you believe to be your finished story. These are people who love the genre you write and are, in essence, your test audience. Have questions to ask them and openly listen to their feedback. Again apply the “Rule of Three.”

These are only a few of the ways to feed our craft. I’d love to hear what you would add to this list!

Susan L. Tuttle lives in Michigan where she’s happily married to her best friend and is a homeschooling mom of three. She’s firmly convinced that letters were meant for words, not math, and loves stringing them together into stories that inspire, encourage, and grow women into who God created them to be. Romance, laughter, and cookies are three of her favorite things, though not always in that order. You can connect with Susan at her blog,

Steps, Facebook, or Twitter.

Realm Makers: Sometimes God gives you a sucker punch by J.J. Johnson

I'm excited to have J.J. Johnson as my guest today. J.J. is a talented speculative fiction writer. When I found out he was heading out to the Realm Makers Conference I couldn't wait to see what he learned! I know you'll be blessed by his post. - Terri

 

I must say- Over the past year, I've been feeling quite down about my writing. Frustrated by the number of projects I have started, only to stop and start something else. I’ve gotten lost in a sea of noise, trying to ward through the static of good advice vs. what is bad advice. Not knowing if my ideas would flourish or fall flat.

A few weeks ago I was excited to attend The Realm Makers writer’s conference in PA. But I have to admit. Even though this was my second year attending, there was a point around December where I was on the fence about it. I was doubting my writing. Hurting. Irritated. And at one point ready to give up. 

Most of it was just pitiful “poor me attitude.” In the end, after some prayer and encouragement from my wife, I decided this was something I needed to do. I had no desire to pitch. I wanted to network, hang out with old friends, meet new friends, and just have a great time. I’m not a huge introvert so working the room has never been a problem for me. But I was struck by what God was trying to show me over those few days.

I had a list of people I wanted to meet and talk to while there. Other authors, I had been following and interacting with online. I thought it would be nice to finally meet face to face and make a connection. But there was one author I met that I didn’t expect to be there. 

On Thursday evening I took part in a cup stack challenge. I must admit and brag – I stack red solo cups like a BOSS!!! My prize for this ridiculous fun challenge – I got all of Lori Stanley Roeleveld collection- Including an Advance Reader’s Copy of her new book “Jesus and the Beanstalk.” 

I have followed Lori’s blog for a few years now. And I really enjoyed meeting her. Our interactions over the course of the weekend were brief. But the few chats we had made me enjoy meeting a blogger who has inspired me. 

Once home I dove into her new book, and it quickly hit me like I had slammed into a brick wall. I won’t release any spoilers at this time, but I will say this book is incredible. The first chapter made me realize a few things about me as an author, and what God has been trying to show me for some time.

Conference’s are fun- Crazy- Energetic. And at Realm Makers you average 4 hours of sleep at night and chug coffee by the gallons the next day. I had a great time. 

So- For those heading to ACFW or any other writers conference. Understand that having an agenda is amazing and smart- But sometimes God hits you upside the head with a new friend or word when you least expect it. I met so many new friends- Reconnected with old ones. And I have learned like so many others that Realm Makers isn’t just a conference with weird story ideas and crazy costumes. It’s a conference where God is working. 

So no matter where you go as an author. ACFW, RWA, RealmMakers- never be blinded by the static and white noise- Sometimes God is speaking in the stillness of a quiet whisper.

J.J. Johnson is a Geeky Father who Reads, Writes, and Loves God. When he isn’t writing he can often be found trying to brew the perfect cup of coffee or invent a means of Time Travel. He blogs at www.jjjohnsonwrites.com and can also be found posting crazy fun pics on Instgram under @jjjohnsonWriter
 

We Need Each Other by Heidi Chiavaroli

When I was growing up, my mother used to tell me a story about my great-great-grandmother. My mémère lived to be one hundred and two, and guess what? She was a writer.

She wrote a book when she was a young adult. And of course, back then, you didn’t just click a mouse and send off a query. You sent the whole kit and caboodle. Every chapter, every page, every sentence you had sweat over. All of it, off to an editor who would hopefully mail your baby back to you.

Well, my grandmother’s manuscript did get returned. Rejected. And, not having any other person’s encouragement or opinion, my grandmother destroyed her hard work. She took the rejection to mean she didn’t have what it took. She couldn’t be a writer.

I’m convinced that if I lived in the same time as my grandmother, that would have also been me. But because I live in a different time, with different opportunities, I was encouraged in different ways. If you don’t have the support you need as a writer, consider seeking out an option or two below.

National Writer’s Groups and Organizations – When I first felt the urge to write seriously ten years ago, I went to one of my favorite author’s websites. Karen Kingsbury listed a number of writing organizations and I picked the one I thought would suit me best—American Christian Fiction Writers. They were phenomenal. Not only did they hook me up with a critique group, which I am still with, but they gave me a scholarship to attend my first national conference, where I met a handful of amazing women who have encouraged me over the years. It’s been fun to watch some of them go on to become bestselling authors. 

Local Groups – If you prefer meeting with other writers in person, check out your local library. Chances are someone knows of a local group of writers.

Critique Groups – Okay, I know I mentioned this above, but really, I can’t talk critique partners up enough! You can sharpen one another’s writing, and encourage at the same time. I don’t know how many times I’ve felt ready to give up only to have one or both of my critique partners encourage me. No one can encourage like another writer. Share the journey.

Conferences – Not only can you meet agents and editors in the industry at conferences, but you can form more connections with other writers, both new and farther along on the journey. No one can encourage you, sympathize with you, and rejoice with you, like other writers!

Websites and Blogs (Such as this one!) – Many authors have resources for writers on their websites. Or subscribe to blogs such as this one to get that daily encouragement.

There’s one thing all these options have in common: they each connect us to other writers. 

Writing can be a solitary journey. But I’m convinced that if my grandmother had any of these resources at her disposal, she wouldn’t have felt so badly after that first rejection. She may have continued to write, maybe even kept her stories for me to read one day.

We need each other! So don’t be a stranger. Speak up, get connected, and get writing!

Heidi Chiavaroli is an author, runner, wife, mother, and grace-clinger—not necessarily in that order. Ever since taking her first trip to Plimoth Plantation with her sister, mother, and grandmother at the age of nine, she has been fascinated with history and its significance to today’s people and culture. Heidi is the winner of ACFW’s 2014 Genesis Contest, Historical Category. Her debut novel will release next year from Tyndale Publishers. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle. Learn more about Heidi on her website: www.heidichiavaroli.com.