This blog is for those authors out there! Don’t worry, next week is for readers, so make sure you come back here for that.
Being an author can sometimes be a really lonely business.
Not just because you spend a huge amount of time talking to imaginary people, or because you have to get your head down and write down what those imaginary people are doing and saying. Though that doesn’t help.
But because being an author, pursuing publication, really honing your craft – it’s actually quite rare. There aren’t that many people who live near you (probably) who are doing that.
The great thing about the internet is that you can immediately be connected to people from around the world who share the same passions as you.
And trust me: there are authors out there!
Most of my author friends are those I have made by being in the same Facebook group. And here’s the key thing: contributing.
It’s all very well to be a lurker in a group, and sometimes that’s the right thing for you. If you’re in a craft book and you’re trying to learn, listening to others is a great way to start. You don’t always have to say something!
But over time you’ll start to notice particular people who post things that really resonate with you, or who comment in a way that makes you smile. Those are the sorts of people that you may wish to be your author friends.
The group might be craft based, business based, genre based, it honestly doesn’t matter. I’ve made meaningful connections with authors in groups like all of these. And over time, you’ll strike up a genuine friendship with some of them, and you’ll wonder how you ever went through your author life without them.
I have certainly been uplifted, supported, challenged, and advised by my author friends over the years, and I most definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without them.
Emily E K Murdoch 