apple, image by Petra, on Pixabay
Seeds of Encouragement
One way to grow as a writer is to enhance and support the writing community. A “like”
on a post, a share of a post, are actions that take very little time. But they encourage
the writer and help get the piece “out there” to reach those it was written for.
A comment on a post can mean a lot. Maybe you share what you liked best about their
poem/essay/artwork, etc. Or how it made you feel, what it meant to you. Even a quick
thank-you to the author/artist.
But why spend time supporting someone else’s work? Because that’s what community
does.
I wonder why we don’t do it more often. Are we too busy promoting our own work? Too
busy with other things? Just too busy? Maybe it simply hadn’t occurred to us.
There are critics and reviewers and publishers to do that kind of thing, right? Why would someone need or want my comment? What difference would it make? We might not know the difference it makes.
“Encourage each other every day while you have the opportunity,” (Hebrews 3:13).
Silence is hard criticism to learn from. The way to increase the audience and improve
a sense of community—and make it more fun!—is to be part of it. Be the audience you sometimes wish you had.
It’s like planting a seed. Who knows how far it will spread and who may benefit? There’s
a quote attributed to Robert H. Schuller: “Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but
only God can count the number of apples in a seed.”
apple orchard, image by lumix2004, on Pixabay
January 2024
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