Stronger Together: A Community of Writers by Sandi Somers

 

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NIV)

As you sit at your desk typing your next paragraph or page, do you ever think that this solitary activity is only part your writing life?

What’s another part?

It’s your involvement in community. It’s one of the greatest values in a writer’s life.

All of us need to surround ourselves with a network of writing friends, other Christians who give each other caring support, stability and strength—and friendship.

"Without constant communion with other believers to refresh their eternal perspectives," wrote Jordan Raynor in a blog post, "Tolkien may have never completed The Lord of the Rings and Lewis may have never finished The Chronicles of Narnia. Like these creators before us, we need regular communion with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to renew our minds and refresh the lenses through which we view the world as we work."

My beginnings with InScribe

I realized how important community was when I joined InScribe in 2012. My first conference was spiritually refreshing, as the speaker and workshop leaders helped me to learn the craft of writing. It also opened up my life to new friendships and opportunities.

I gradually became more involved, entering fall contests and serving as secretary. Then I was asked to be lead writer for this IWO blog, coming up with new prompts and writing the first post every month. The prompts stretched my imagination and writing skills and helped me look at new ways of thinking about my faith and writing. All through the nearly 12 years I’ve been posting here, I’ve been encouraged by others who write supportive comments and reflect on how something I’ve said relates to their own situations and stimulates their own growth.

Developing community

About nine years ago, another opportunity for community opened up. I began leading an InScribe local writers’ group. I had made a couple of attempts earlier, but now the Lord prompted me to begin again. In our first meetings, we all didn’t know each other and we felt tentative. Gradually as our comfort level improved, we began critiquing each other’s writing, sharing successes, and praying for each other.

During the COVID-19 shutdown, we met via Zoom meetings—a more challenging and limiting endeavour. When restrictions were lifted, it was so refreshing to meet in person, and we spent most of the first meeting catching up with each other!

How community has made a difference

Since that time we’ve grown, and I’m amazed at how we’ve become friends, have helped each other with writing. As we critique each other’s work—fiction, nonfiction, and poetry—we’ve gained ability to give insights and suggest strategies in the different genres. Each writer brings special skills in areas such as editing, coaching, sharing spiritual insights, and providing encouragement when we have questions about the writing process.

At our last monthly meeting, I looked around at our writers and was surprised at how much we’ve expanded our repertoire. For each other, we’ve been beta readers, editors, layout and cover designers. We’ve become almost a complete publishing industry in ourselves.

We’ve also begun a three-times-a-year group writers’ retreat, where we meet for a day at a designated location. We’re freed from home responsibilities and distractions so that we can give concentrated time to our writing projects.

Our lives, too, have strengthened each other as we’ve progressed through personal obstacles, challenges, and opportunities. Recently we’ve all had critical family or personal health issues or family complexities. In our time together and at home, we’ve devoted more thought in praying for each other.

Our connections have become more strategic as we’ve become encouragers who help each other find courage to become the people and writers God intends us to be.

Conclusion

All writers need a positive community to flourish, where our writing is respected and nourished. Such a community is crucial to our success as writers and growth as persons.

What about you? How have your writing communities helped you to become stronger together?

 

Sandi Somers is always challenged by new topics and ways to approach writing. She also explores ways to encourage others as she writes about seasonal activities, prayer, God's marvels in the world and in writers, and ways to grow our spiritual lives. She writes from her home in Calgary.

A Community of Writers by Sandi Somers

We writers spend long hours alone at our computers or with our pens and papers. Connecting with other writers helps us move forward, whether through critique groups, online networking, through writing with another—or more.

Prompt: What connecting points, what significant partnerships with other writers do you have? How have they helped you grow? What mutual benefits have you discovered?

A Point of Connection

This weekend I was reminded of how important a community is. I visited my niece, Jill, to give her little boys quilts that I had made. Jill herself has begun quilting, and so we spent the afternoon together sharing quilts and pictures. I loved a quilt Jill had made for her husband, and knew this was the design I wanted for a quilt I would make for another niece, Tammy. So I took pictures to help me remember how to make it. Then on the way home, I swung by a fabric store where I bought the fabric I needed.

Jill said it was so good to “talk quilting” with someone who understood her work.

It was such an invigorating afternoon for both of us.

This illustration encapsulated what a writing community means to me. We are connected to each other. We need each other. We can encourage each other.  

My primary writing community is InScribe. When I joined in 2011, I knew almost no one in the organization and I had few other connection with writers. But year by year, I’ve come to know other writers, through the Fall Conference, through our blogs and Facebook. (I’ll have more to write regarding Fall Conference in a future blog.)  I’ve received so much encouragement from those who critiqued my writing, (contests, and critique group), to commenting on my blog posts. InScribe has opened up an avenue for published writing, as I’ve contributed several FellowScript articles and contributed to our 2015 Anthology and supported other writers’ contributions.

For three years I was Secretary for InScribe. It was such a growing experience, as it gave me an insight into the inner workings of the organization. For me it was the best way to give back to the community in visioning, planning and coordinating reports and minutes. I recently resigned from this position but am continuing to pray for our executive and the needs of our organization.

Since my resignation, I haven’t been too involved with the “community” part of writing. God has pointed out my need to be quiet, to focus on my own works-in-progress. But I continue to regularly pray for InScribe and its writers, sometimes experiencing a burden for a particular person. At times I’ve awakened at night with an InScribe writer in mind, and I pray for him/her. This is one way I can encourage others.

I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul’s prayer for believers: “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6 NIV)  

I’m also reminded of these two verses:

“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed” (Ecclesiastes 4:9 NLT).

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV).

Now over to you. Tell us about your writing community.