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Dear Friends,

Having survived a career in nonprofit fundraising, I’m used to working in a competitive field. Resources were always scarce, and understandably many of my fellow fundraisers were not eager to “share the wealth.” Any newbie fundraiser who asked a more seasoned colleague from a different organization about their fundraising process would be eyed with suspicion.

Maybe you’ve felt a similar sense of keeping your trade secrets a secret. It can happen in any part of life. I’ve even witnessed requests between friends for a “signature” recipe quietly denied.

So you can understand how struck I was by a completely opposite experience among authors in the writing community this summer.

When visiting the 3 Rivers Comicon in June, I met several authors who had set up booths showcasing their books. As soon as I mentioned working on my first novel, each was quick to share advice about process and publishing — even providing their contacts for editing services, e-book layout, audio books, and more.

In fact, one of the authors wrote down her personal cell number for me (saying “I never do this!”) and told me to call her as I came up with questions or concerns about my plot.

Who does that?!

Authors, apparently!

For all these authors knew, I could turn up in a neighboring booth at next year’s Con and compete for business. They could have easily just sold me a book and wished me luck.

And yet every author I met was so free with sharing their knowledge and expertise. Their advice came from a place of abundance instead of scarcity.

Just when I was tempted to believe that was a unicorn of an experience — chalked up to the comic book convention vibe — I met two more authors.

I vacationed with family at Bethany Beach and book-ended the trip (if you’ll pardon the pun) by attending two author events at the local bookstore, Bethany Beach Books. The evening we arrived, I met Brooke Lea Foster, who has published three historical fiction novels and writes Dear Fiction here on Substack. Brooke was quick to ask questions about my work and shared helpful advice about staying true to the spirit of the real story while not turning the work into a biography or history lesson.

On our last night of vacation, I met #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Lisa Wingate, who published Before We Were Yours and more than 30 other books. Turns out that Lisa’s first novel was also based on her grandmother Rose, who had an intriguing past! (She teared up relating the true inspiration of that book to me, all these years later.) It’s an encounter I will long treasure.

Lisa, Patty, and Adam standing behind a table for autographing, with bookshelves and arched windows in the background. Lisa and Patty are holding copies of Lisa’s books, Tending Roses and Shelterwood. — *Lisa (left) was so gracious and really took time with me. And my hubby, Adam, continues to be a tremendous support.*

Writing can be quite isolating, so maybe an innate desire for connection partly drove these authors to be so quick with encouragement. But I think it’s more than that.

I think these authors are living out a mentality that I am only just beginning to embrace: what benefits one of us, benefits all of us.

Four women sit facing each other near a table with coffee and donuts. There is a bulletin board on the wall and a large sign that reads: Tonight: Procrastinating Writers Support Group. The caption reads: “Hello, my pseudonym is Katrina, and it has been 16 days since I last wrote a sentence.” “Hi, Katrina.” — *“Hello, my pseudonym is Katrina, and it has been 16 days since I last wrote a sentence.” “Hi, Katrina.”*

As I sit at my desk to write, I am uplifted by a swirl of wise words from a growing list of wonderful people. (I’m adding a short author shout-out list with links at the end of this post, which not only includes the authors I met this summer, but a few others from along the way.)

Also as I write, I am accompanied by the encouragement of my subscribers — fellow writers or not — who keep cheering me on as I make my way through this process. You are all dear to me, and you keep me going! Thank you!

In addition to finding some author shout-outs, read on if you are interested in my personal writing and reading progress. 😊

If You Wanna Write, You Gotta Write

As indicated by the subtitle of this post, I have added more than 3,000 words to my book this summer. I, of course, wish I had written more. (I’m sure I say this every year, but where did the summer go?!) When I consider all of the travel and company we took on this summer, I know I did the best I could. A little progress is still progress.

I changed my book’s opening scene… again! If the experts are truly experts, the opening pages of your book are the most important. I have been focusing most of my writing energy on that section. However, though I know it’s far from perfect, it’s time to move on and get the rest written. One of my favorite writing quotes is, “You can’t edit a blank page!”

I am still working towards the goal of completing my first draft by the end of this year. Only four months to go! I’ll let you know how it’s going in my next update.

If You Wanna Write, You Gotta Read

I’m still working my way through the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling – I’m about half-way through The Half-Blood Prince. Whatever your feelings on Rowling or the series, there’s no denying the woman’s creativity.

Writing in Community

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