By Janine Rosch, @janinerosche

Ever since I first rode The Beastie at Kings Island in 1987, I have loved roller coasters. For me, the thrills, chills, and pure exhilaration are worth high ticket prices and long lines, but only because I trust that the engineers have added enough safety features and supports to keep me protected. There was only one ride I did not love. The King Cobra. Why? Because it lacked proper support. My poor head felt like a ping pong ball in Forrest Gump, leading to a migraine and a stiff neck.

Writing a novel is a bit like a roller coaster, isn’t it? There are highs and lows, fear and relief, long waiting times and moments of pure exhilaration. What makes it a good ride and one you’d be willing to take again is whether you have the proper support surrounding you.

Here are five types of support you need to build around you before your metaphorical car leaves the loading platform.

Self

In my experience, the number one obstacle to finishing a book or publishing a book is ourselves. Got insecurities? Even the most suppressed middle school cafeteria ones will come roaring to life. It’s easy to assume we aren’t (fill in the blank) enough to be successful. Likewise, it’s easy to assume we are too (fill in the blank) to be successful. We must learn to combat our self-sabotage before it strikes. How?

• Create an author mission statement to keep you on course.
• Collect inspiring writing quotes 
• Redefine your priorities. If you want it bad enough, make time for it.
• Focus on your strengths. In this multifaceted career, no one is good at everything. 
• Acknowledge your weaknesses and either work around them or tackle them head-on. 

Resources

There are endless resources for those who want to improve their craft, build a social media platform, sell more books, get noticed, get published, etc. I’ve listed a few of my favorites.

Books

• The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever, and Sue Viders
• The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler

Organizations

• My Book Therapy
• ACFW- American Christian Fiction Writers

Conferences

• Blue Ridge Christian Writing Conference
• American Christian Fiction Writers Annual Conference

Podcasts/Blogs

• The Steve Laube Blog
• A Rough Draft Life Podcast

Facebook Groups

• Writing Groups
  • A Seat at the Table
  • 20Booksto50K
• Reader Groups (can be extremely informative and connect you with what your readers want)
  • A Most Storied Romance
  • Avid Readers of Christian Fiction

Colleagues

Writing friends who share similar dreams are essential. They understand the challenges and the monumental moments when others won’t. So how do you meet like-minded writing friends?

• Attend local writing critique groups
• Join an organization with local branches or online communities
• Hang out in writing and reading groups
• Go to a writers’ conference. Most go out of their way to connect new authors.

Mentors

Sure, you can pay for a mentor, but there are also free ways to learn from those you look up to in the writing world. 

• Engage with them on social media.
• Read their books and learn from them.
• Join their street team. Not only will you get to help them share their novels with the world, but you can learn marketing techniques from them.

First Fans

Don’t discount the love and support you get from your first fans. It might be your mom, your mom’s friend, that one girl you met ten years ago, and some guy named Keanu, but it counts. Those people have likely seen you at your most raw and your most inexperienced, and they love you anyway! Lean hard on any and all encouragement they give you. You can trust it. Well, maybe not that Keanu-guy.

Remember, the best roller coasters weren’t built in a day. They take time and intentional design, but I assure you, it’s worth the ride.

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Glory Falls (A Madison River Romance Novel)

Two people scarred by past trauma have a chance to write a new chapter in their lives, overcome loss, and find love in the third entry in the Madison River Romance series.

Screenwriter Cecilia “Blue” Walker is victim to life’s worst plot twists. Having lost her daughter to the depths of the Madison River and her husband to the arms of another woman, she finds herself yearning for something to restore her brittle faith and once-vibrant career.

Hope arrives in the form of her childhood friend, Thomas Beck, a firefighter with a legacy of larger-than-life rescues who doesn’t see himself as a hero. Haunted by his past, Thomas only agrees to a movie adaptation of his story if Blue, his longtime crush, is the screenwriter.

However, as Blue and Thomas work together to bring his heroism to the big screen, the glitz and glamour of Hollywood threaten to shed light on secrets that could tear their fragile relationship and their lives apart.

Prone to wander, Janine Rosche finds as much comfort on the open road as she does at home. This longing to chase adventure, behold splendor, and experience redemption is woven into her Madison River Romance series, including her latest release, GLORY FALLS. When she isn’t writing or traveling, she teaches family life education courses to college students, takes too many pictures of her sleeping dogs, and embarrasses her four children and husband with boy band serenades. Chat with her on Facebook and Instagram or visit www.JanineRosche.com for a free Madison River Romance prequel novella.