Encourage Other Writers

 

One of the reasons I started this blog fourteen plus years ago was to encourage other writers. Writers tend to ride the waves in their journey. Ups and downs. When things are going well, and we're up, life is good. When we hit the valleys and the doldrums set in, we need some encouragement.

Who better to encourage a writer than another writer? No one else understands what the writer is going through better than one who has been there a time or six. 

You may not have a blog to send encouragement to writers like I do, but you can still offer that bit of uplift so often needed. As anothe writer, you can do it one on one, or in a writers' group. 

When we critique the writing of  others, we need to point out the trouble spots, but equally important is to highlight the places where good writing stands out. We all need that bit of encouragement as much as we need to know where we should improve.

When I attend our state writing convention, I love the awards ceremony on the last day. Winning in any category is such an uplifting experience. Sure, we like the check that comes with the win, but the fact that a judge picked your sub out of all the others is a huge boost in your confidence level as a writer. Hearing my own name called is great, but I also enjoy watching others receive their awards. I smile and applaud as each winner goes to the podium to receive their certificate and check. More encouragement.

It's the same when you submit something to a publication, and it is accepted. You feel on top of the world. Someone liked what I wrote. They liked it well enough to publish and allow many others to read my words. What can be better than that? 

Make encouraging other writers a must-do whenever you have the opportunity. How many times have you walked by a person whose wardrobe you admited, but you never told them? If you read something another writer has offered through publication, take a minute to drop a note, make a phone call, or make a comment. It will do that writer a world of good.

Remember the old song that had lyrics that went "Accentuate the positive, latch on to the affirmative, and don't mess with Mr. In-between." Bing Crosby recorded the Johnny Mercer song. Maybe that should be a theme song for writers. We all need to be encouraged, to be lifted from the doldrums, now and then. Help your fellow writers by doing this for them. 

Hopefully, they will return the same to you when it is needed.