This weekend, I went to a creative writing conference in Houston, TX called Writefest. It’s a meeting of the minds so to speak, where new writers and established authors can talk about the writing process and how to get your work out there. As a young and fairly naive writer myself, this conference proved incredibly useful and informative for me. I learned a lot and have pages upon pages of notes detailing the different panels and the authors who lead them. More so than the education I received, I’ve developed an appreciation for communities like the one they have at Writespace.

I love my friends a crazy amount, but not all of them really understand what I need from them when I’m writing, or the kind of self-doubt I’m constantly experiencing. Conferences and writing communities like these exist (and should exist) because a lot of the time we spend writing is time we spend alone. We shut out the world so we can solely exist in our imagined realities. And when it comes time to open that door and ask for advice or critiques, it can be hard to find people who can really give you the feedback and advice that you’re looking for.

Being around like-minded people in such an interesting experience. In the grand scheme of things, we all are aware that we aren’t only people experiencing doubt or depression or uncertainty. There are millions of people out there who go through the same things we go through. But to have someone validate your experiences by sharing their own, or to have someone give you advice on how to deal with and overcome those low moments is so motivating and inspiring. You can look someone in the eyes who’s going through what you’re going through and identify with them. I know for me personally, I struggle a lot with the highs and lows of writing. Some days, I’m just so excited to write that I can come up with tons of characters and plot points. But then a few days later, I feel like everything I worked on is terrible and should be scrapped. Adrienne Perry was on a panel earlier today and said that she goes through the exact same thing. I was relieved and at the same time, so intrigued to hear her talk about it. It was an incredible moment for me and I wish I would’ve shared that with her.

I think it’s important that we, myself especially, seek out more opportunities to meet people whose interest align with ours. By this, I don’t mean ditch your friends. I mean, if there’s something that you love that your friends aren’t terribly interested in, go out and find those people. There are tons of conventions and meetups for different types of people, and I think for writers especially, those supportive communities can be really integral to your success. I am super thankful that I got to go to such a fun conference, and I will definitely be on the lookout for more.