It Takes a Village

Most of us have heard the term, “It takes a village.” I remember when my kids were little, and my group of mom friends would coordinate school drop offs, play dates, and after school sporting events with great ease. We were flawless at it, the mommies and I, and even though my monsters are now grown, I can still see that phrase in action in other parts of my life.

Take Twitter for example. Now I’ve heard the rumors that Twitter is dying a slow death. For me, that will be a sad, sad day if it ever happens. You see, amidst all the trolling for celebrity gossip, Twitter is a valuable tool to those of us in the writing community. We are like a group of best friends, a gang of thugs, if you will; all passionate about our craft and eager to share it with our village. And here’s a secret for you….the writing “village” is crazy about supporting one another; tweeting and re-tweeting posts, sharing positive encouragement, and reminding you that as wacky as the rest of the world is, us writers are certifiably insane….and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Where I once thought of myself as the only person who drifted off into my own la-la land, I’m hearing time and again that this is more the norm than the rarity. My village out there - we don’t sleep, we write. We spend a whole lot of time in our collective heads, trying to slough off self-doubt whenever possible, and constantly fending off the barrage of people talking to us throughout the day. People no one else can hear; our characters.

In my village there are poets who weave beautiful tales and leave me dumbfounded. In my village there are children’s lit authors, young adult authors, and yes, even some erotic authors. As I scour Twitter each day I’m in awe of the talent out there, which (because I am a writer myself), only increases that self-doubt. However, most days the support I and others receive far outweighs that nagging doubt.

My little band of brothers and sisters is made up of a group of people from all different walks of life; ladies and gents from different countries, different cultures. It’s almost as if I can see the world, without leaving the comfort of my couch. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

So you might be asking yourself “why is this chick rambling on about Twitter?” Well, I don’t know. I just thought that maybe, just maybe, one member of my ‘village’ might read this and know how grateful I am to be a part of this great big ole family.