Warning: This is a no-edit zone...


This morning, I received an email from a friend that included the above graphic. It knocked me back on my heels.


I’m often asked why I try to help other authors with the library, articles, workshops, lectures and other programs I sponsor. I generally answer these questions with a simple, “It’s a privilege and a pleasure.” And that’s true, it is. But the reason goes far deeper. It goes back over two decades, when I first started writing.


I didn’t know another writer then. There was no Internet, no email, and I knew of no writers’ groups. I, like many others, simply decided I wanted to write a book, and so I did. It was not a pleasant experience--which, truth be told, is likely why I wrote another. It was a challenge. A significant, major challenge, and in those days, I loved a challenge. Still do.


Anyway, writing that first book was frustrating. I’d spend days searching for answers to the most simple questions. Questions with answers that today can be found in seconds. Then, it required library trips, reference material purchases, and prayers that I’d interpreted foreign phrases and industry lingo accurately.


I struggled and studied and learned, but ... READ MORE


Tags:
encourage, inspire, aspirations, ambition, Vicki Hinze, writers library, books, creative writing