[I wrote this post as a member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group where we share our worries and also offer support and encouragement to each other on the first Wednesday of every month. If you’re a writer like me and you’re looking for a bit of support, you can click the link and sign up here]

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When you think back on the one thing in your life that makes you get out of bed and move through your day, how did you know it meant so much in the first place?

When I close my eyes …

… I see myself as the little 7-year-old in braids with more dreamy thoughts and a whole lot of “prove myself attitude,” staring up at my teacher Mrs. Heinz, blinking, listening, letting the words sink in how much she loved my story about a girl who could see unicorns. She handed me that scribbly card and said something like, “Someday Erika, you will be a writer.”

… Standing outside in the cold after a fire drill at 16, talking to an astonished peer who smiles and said, “You mean you come up with these thoughts naturally?”

… My Sophomore history teacher Mrs. Lafoy, who took me under her wing. I joined my first formal writing group and she really really wanted me to follow in her footsteps, to become a history teacher and develop my writing projects on the side…

…Dr. Martin, an English professor who loved my creative voices in a creative nonfiction writing class I took from him …

… And I picture the faces of all my fellow writing friends and readers, Martha, Debbie, Becky and Adrienne, and of course my mom and stepdad … I can’t say thank you enough for every last bit of encouragement and advice.

Today, I am thinking about Influencers. Those people in our lives who did just the right thing or said just the right thing and woke up that passion or internal gift. Would your life be different without them? 

I was asked to write about the topic, “The best thing someone ever said about my writing.”

I don’t really have a best thing. I do know I may never have pursued writing without others who stepped forward and convinced me I could write and make something of my writing.

So here I am. And the photo of flowers above? It’s just there because they make me happy and smile. 🙂

Question: Would you agree? Does your writing passion, or any other passion you may have, stem from the belief of someone else in you?

My last thought is this: “One thing I’ve learned through all the ups and downs is that if you’re doing things right, then you have a core group of people. Not just a core group like your homies or your buddies, but a group of people that has a good influence on you, who you respect and admire, and you know that if they’re on your side, you’re doing something right.” ~Hope Solo, Brainy Quotes

This Month’s List of Awesome IWSG Hosts:
Yolanda Renee
Tyrean Martinson