Last week, I posted a blog about how important it is to believe the compliments you receive. Just as food fuels the body, encouragement fuels the writer's spirit.
But in order for someone to hear or read encouraging words, someone needs to provide them. We cannot be encouraged if there are no encouragers around.
The good news is, you can be both an encourager and one of the encouraged at the same time. Ever since I started the first draft of The Pride of Central, there have been days – or even hours – when I needed to hear positive feedback from others and found myself also encouraging those same people in their own efforts.
It may feel awkward at first, especially if you believe the writer you are encouraging is somehow ahead of you in the publishing game. But even if that author has already published a dozen novels, won a couple awards, or even topped a best-seller's list, he or she will have their moments of discouragement and doubt.
Every writer has days when the blank page seems impenetrable. Computer problems seem to be universal. A nasty one-star review eventually finds its way to your Amazon page.
We all can get down. That is why we need to be willing to share encouragement. You never know if your words will reach someone just as they were sliding into the lowest point of their writing arc.
Maybe you know one writer, or maybe you know dozens. Regardless of how many writers there are in your life, they all need some encouragement. Some may need it more than others, but all writers are human. We all need that extra boost now and again.
Talk in person. Call on the phone. Text or direct message on your social media account. Whatever way you feel best communicating, let those writers know how well they are doing. Tell them you appreciate their work. Show them that you believe that their effort matters.
Don't turn it into a chain letter. Don't tell them to forward a standardized message to ten other writers. Make it personal. Yes, you want to encourage writers in general, but also encourage each one individually.
Shortly after this blog hits the social media feeds, I will be reaching out to the writers I know with some words of encouragement. I hope you will join me.
Next week: What if I'm not as good as I should be?