The back and forth of community

The hardest part is asking for help when you need it

Hey, Runners!

You might have noticed something I’ve done in the previous letters this week; when I talked about community, I talked about the people in the community who might need you.

There’s a reason for this; in my experience, most people are more about giving to community than receiving from it, and I emphasized that part of things to make you feel a little more comfortable about diving in.

It was manipulative, sure, but done with the best of intentions, because I am one of you.

So right here, right now, I’m going to do a thing that makes me dreadfully uncomfortable, because it requires me being honest and vulnerable for a minute.

And, just like you, I fucking hate that shit.

I need your help

I am terrible at promotion.

I’ve watched my approach to writing novels and other long-form fiction work really well for the people in my Year of Writing Magically cohorts, and I know that I can help many more writers do the work they want to do with the Running of the WIPs model, with less friction and more fun.

My problem is reaching the writers I know I can help.

I am now, and have always been, terrible at promotion. There are lots of reasons for this, but mostly it’s that I deliberately sabotage myself because attention makes me uncomfortable.

I love the work I do, I love the stories I write, I love the writers I work with, but I am terrible at getting the word out about it because I actively resist getting people’s attention.

I’m on social media only as much as I absolutely have to be to send out a single post when I put out a new newsletter. I don’t engage on social media much because I find it detrimental to my mental health. I don’t advertise because… honestly… I don’t want attention. It’s like I deliberately hamstring myself because I want to do the work, but I don’t want people to notice me. I want success, because I believe in my work and what I do, but when it comes to doing what I need to to get that success… I hold back.

It’s kind of a mess.

Today’s Comments Assignment:

Ask for encouragement for you to do something small that you need to do, like doing the dishes or making the bed.

Come back later and provide encouragement for others.

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I’m not giving up on being able to promote my work. Just because it makes me uncomfortable doesn’t mean I can’t do it.

But maybe doing it alone isn’t how I’m meant to do it. Maybe I need people supporting me and cheering me on and helping me get the word out.

As much as I want to be here solely supporting others, maybe part of the growth I need to achieve is letting others support me. Not just by joining the challenge (which I hope you will) but by pulling with me so I can make it as big as it can be.

Here’s how you can help

If what you’re seeing here at the Running of the WIPs speaks to you, if you’re excited about joining this challenge in the fall and getting your story written this year with more fun and less friction, then here’s how you can help:

• Share the Running of the WIPs on social media.

• Tell your writer friends about it.

• If you’re part of a writer’s group, see if they want to run the challenge with you this year. There will be discounts for groups of 2 or more, and groups of 10 or more get their own private Discord server.

• Share new posts when they come out.

• Email your favorite writing podcast and suggest they invite me on as a guest.

One of the things I’ll be teaching you this year is how to accept who you are and how you work and work with that, instead of pushing against it. So one way I can get past this is by not doing it alone, and asking for the support I need to do what I need to do.

Community is the backbone of this whole endeavor, so I need to ask you all, as my community, for your help. The more people we have doing the Running of the WIPs, the better the experience for everyone.

And when you get to the point where you need support and help, I want you to remember that if I can ask you all for this, you can ask for the encouragement and support you need.