Since our first-born was an infant, I’ve sought connections with other women in a similar life stage. Mothers of Preschoolers meetings were my lifeline. Twice a month, I could count on adult conversation, a safe place for my child(ren) to be, laughter, and let’s not forget coffee and a hot breakfast. I learned so much from those meetings and forged valuable relationships. The biggest lesson I learned? I am not meant to mother alone.

Every time we try something new: whether it is a great big endeavor like parenting or writing a book, we need people in our corner. Folks cheering us on, sharing their wisdom and sometimes even giving us tough love. So when I set out to chase my dream of writing a novel, I went and found others who had achieved success. Writing can feel very solitary and lonely at times, particularly if you’re just getting started and haven’t taken the big giant leap of finding an avenue for sharing your work.

But in this crazy awesome world of social media, a tribe of like-minded writer peeps is just a tweet, post and a pin away. There are so many writers eager to share their wisdom and lessons learned. I have one completed manuscript under my belt that I’m getting ready to pitch, another one started and yes, I’ve received that dreaded rejection letter … and lived to tell about it. In fact, it’s what inspired this month-long series. For the next thirty days, I would like to share pithy bits of wisdom I’ve gleaned from other seasoned romance writers and social media experts. These are valuable insights that I wish I’d found before I ever put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) as the case may be. While my preferred genre to write is a clean, wholesome romance with a low-level of heat, I feel these tips are applicable to anyone setting out on the journey of crafting great fiction.

I entered the first chapter of my current work in progress in Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write contest a few weeks ago. Half the fun of entering this particular contest is reading other submissions and offering encouraging words to fellow contestants. It’s terrifying to post your work on a public forum, but the flip side means finding a wonderful, generous community of writers wrestling with the same questions and struggles. We are not meant to labor over our craft in solitude all of the time.

I hope you’ll join the conversation as we share lessons learned along the way in this journey of writing a must-read romance. You won’t want to miss my big announcement regarding a fantastic giveaway later this month. I’m kicking things off this week with this incredible infographic from the master of story crafting, Mr. Stephen King. Thank you to how to make my blog.com and to be read books for posting this on their sites and sharing on Pinterest, as well.

How about you? Please share your favorite tip on the craft of writing … or the title of your favorite rom-com flick.