A warm Chicks welcome to Josette! She’ll be sharing today about the power of community and connection. Find your people, friends!
With a Little Help from My Friends
I’m a loner by nature. Whether it’s watching a movie or finishing a project at work, I prefer to exist on my own little island. Which is one of the things that drew me to writing. I loved the magic of using my imagination to create worlds and explore the human condition.
But then a funny thing happened. A novel writing course at my local Y blossomed into a critique group of seven diverse women that became my writing community for over a decade. For the first time, I let people other than family members read my writing and give me feedback on my words. And for the first time, I felt a sense of camaraderie with other authors. We’d gather at each other’s houses to eat, drink, exchange pages, and talk about what everyone wrote. Did I mention the eating and drinking? I learned to accept constructive criticism, albeit reluctantly, and it made me a better writer. I’d like to think my input helped them as well.
What followed were more of the interactions I thought I dreaded: meeting my favorite authors at writing conferences, participating in online groups, and crying with members of my ride-or-die critique group when a scene just wasn’t working. I was pushed outside of my comfort zone, but it turns out I didn’t die. I wasn’t even wounded. Fancy that.
I write in the mystery/thriller genre, and there’s nothing more exhilarating than sitting down to dinner with other crime writers to discuss topics such as the best way to hide a body and how to trick a confession out of a perp. Or having deeper conversations about being a woman of color in a publishing world that doesn’t always welcome us. This was more than exchanging writing advice or bonding over our mutual love of Prince. The cliché was true: I’d found my people.
I still enjoy writing alone and taking solo trips to the movie theater. But I also cherish making connections with other writers, be it professionally or personally. I’m still on the path to publishing my first novel, and I know I couldn’t have come this far without the support of my writing tribe.
Connecting with other authors taught me how to be vulnerable with myself and my art. And I learned, much to my surprise, that I don’t hate being around people. Sometimes. Especially if they’re writers.
Who do you connect with in your life?
About Josette:
Josette Covington is a mystery/thriller writer who moonlights as a physician in her spare time. She’s a native Texan who’s lived most of her adult life in Delaware with her family. Josette was the 2023 recipient of the Mystery Writers of America Burstein Scholarship and a runner up for the Sisters in Crime Eleanor Taylor Bland Award. She’s currently revising her first novel.
Chicks on the Case 
I love to connect with others by sharing our writing craft, especially what top writers have already figured out. Those little “Ah-ha moments” help us finally grasp what at first appears more like vapor than practical advice.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi, Josette! Besides writers, I tend to connect with fellow fans of live music. My wife and I go to a lot of concerts and musicals. It’s fun to share that interest with other folks. Cheers!
LikeLiked by 2 people
So glad you found your tribe, Josette! I love my critique group and reconnecting with friends at conferences.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Welcome, Josette! First, what an amazing bio–congrats on your many accomplishments. And thank you for the inspiring post, both for those new to putting themselves out there as writers and writers who have been at it for years. I can’t fully express how important my writing community tribe is to me. Especially Chicks, of course, but I feel fortunate to have found such wonderful friendships within the larger community as well (special shout out to Sisters in Crime and SinC Guppies–look us up, crime writers, we’d love to have you!).
LikeLiked by 1 person
We love you, Lisa!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Josette! I’m so glad you visited us here at Chicks today … definitely your peeps. I can’t imagine life without my writer—and reader—peeps either. I belong to an indie publishing group whose motto is “doing it yourself without doing it alone.” My other connections happen at the theatre. I’m a huge Broadway fan and love to talk shows with people!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Josette, I’m so happy to e-meet you. And so many fabulous familiar faces in these photos. Welcome to the mystery family! And that’s what we are. A big, loving supportive family. My connections in the community have inspired me and gifted me with so many incredible new friends. I’m looking forward to having you join the ranks. 🙂 And congratulations on your wonderful accomplishments so far!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Welcome to the Chicks, Josette, and thank you so much for this lovely and heartfelt blog post! You are not alone, not by a long shot. In fact, I imagine virtually every other writer out there has felt the same way at one time in their writing career. But it’s so true about how important it is that we connect with “our people”–other writers who are going through the same struggles and joys as we.
Congrats on your impressive accomplishments so far, and good luck finishing up the novel–can’t wait to read it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Glad you’re here, Josette! Congrats on all your accolades, and I’m happy you found a community!
I’m grateful for all my writer friends to spur me on with my creativity, including the Chicks, Crime Writers of Color, and Sisters in Crime. I also find connections in my local community through shared values, parenting roles, and my kids’ activities.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hurrah for Delaware!
LikeLike
Welcome, Josette! So happy to *connect* with you here!
Being part of this community has been one of the greatest joys for me. I cherish these relationships so much, whether they’re online or if we’re lucky enough to meet in person. ❤
LikeLike