All too often, I feel the sting of being a writer. Yes, a sting. It can be a lonely profession…when I’m doing it wrong.

Let me explain: I do need a quiet place – or at least a place where I’m not responsible for any one else – to work. In that sense, I need ‘alone time’ in order to work with words, sentence structure, plot elements and the characters in my head. Writing the story, the article, the post is simply step one. Sharing the story is something I can’t do alone.

There is a network of like-minded writers out there that I need. Writers need to encourage each other just like mothers tend to bond quickly over birth-and-delivery stories. The beauty of how a story (or a child) was born brings us together under, helps us know that despite the lonely times and the struggle to find just…