By Dana R. Lynn, @DanaRLynn

I submitted my first book to an editor in 2013 through the So You Think You Can Write contest by Harlequin. I freely admit I had no idea what I was doing. I had never completed a full book before.  But I was an avid reader of Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense, and knew that was what I wanted to write. Looking back, I have to shake my head at my naivete. 

Fortunately, I learned some valuable lessons. That particular contest had very active participation by other wanna-be authors and established authors. I made some connections during that time. Once the contest ended, I joined several writer groups online, and I formed a critique group with two friends I had met through the contest.

That’s where my true growth began. It might seem odd, but we were not writing in the same genre. I started off writing inspirational romance, another one of my friends wrote historical inspirational romance and the third member of our group wrote contemporary romantic suspense. I honestly think this was helpful at first because our ideas were so unique. Also, back then, we had the fear of someone using our ideas. This helped us all feel more comfortable sharing. We started off exchanging chapters and critiquing them. There were several benefits to this. The most obvious one was that I had more eyes on my work and these ladies were able to spot some issues in my writing that I hadn’t seen. Another benefit was having people willing to brainstorm when we ran up against a sagging middle or had written ourselves into a corner. I learned so much from them. I think one of the greatest benefits, however, was no longer feeling alone in this writing journey. Even though we didn’t write the same genre, we were all writers who lived among people who didn’t understand us when we talked about characters talking to us in our heads.

That was ten years ago, and we are still friends to this day. Our writing paths diverged a bit. I found a different critique group later with authors who also write inspirational romantic suspense. Even after so many years, having others to brainstorm with, vent with, pray with, and critique a section of writing is vital. It helps to keep the writing fresh. It also helps having people in your corner who understand you. I encourage aspiring writers to find critique groups.

This is also why I love going to places like ACFW. When I go to a conference, I want to learn something new. But at the same time, the joy of seeing my fellow writing peeps is a huge motivation. We write, brainstorm, talk, drink coffee, and then do it all again. When I return from one of these trips, I might be tired, but I feel as though my creative well has been filled and I look forward to writing something new. 

What if you can’t go to a conference? Last year, I formed an online writing retreat with a group of writers on Zoom. We took 3 days of our summer and wrote from 9:00 am to early evening, popping in and out as we were able to. We did some chatting, lots of writing, and many of us found our word counts soaring during those days because we were writing with others. It was amazing. 

How about you? What are other ways you refill your creative well and advance your goals?

 

---

Crime Scene Witness

Finding a safe haven

is the only way to stay alive

When crime scene cleaner Lissa Page discovers a clue at a murder site, she’s attacked and becomes the killer’s new target. Now Deputy US Marshal Micah Bender must protect the single mother from becoming another victim. But with threats coming from every direction, Micah needs to hide Lissa—and the Amish community he left behind might be the answer to keeping his witness safe.

Dana R. Lynn grew up in Illinois. She met her husband at a wedding and told her parents she had met her future husband. Nineteen months later, they were married. Today, they live in rural Pennsylvania with their three teenaged children and enough pets to open a petting zoo. She is a teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing by day and writes stories of romance and danger at night. She believes in the power of God to touch people through stories. She has been on the USA Today and a Publisher’s Weekly Bestseller lists. She has been a Holt Medallion finalist, a Selah Award Winner, and a New England Readers Choice finalist and Award winner. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. She is an avid reader, loves cats and thinks chocolate should be a food group. She enjoys engaging with readers and can be found on social media or contacted via her website www.danarlynn.com.