Why Indie Authors Need a Writing Community

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Every author can benefit from being part of a writer group. An author’s journey can be lonely, and we need writing friends who understand the highs and lows writers experience. Brainstorming with writer groups can spark creativity. Networking offers new connections that can lead to more writing opportunities. Collaboration allows us to combine our resources to get our messages in front of a wider audience of readers. We will find endless benefits when we realize we’re stronger together through writer groups.

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Three Keys to New Author Success

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When I retired in 2013, having practiced medicine for nearly forty years, I wasn’t ready to entirely leave medicine. So I searched for a new way to help people improve their health. The result was a self-help program called Serenity and Health that I introduced at my church in 2014. Three years later, I launched my website and blog of the same name. This year I published my first book, Pilgrimage: A Doctor’s Healing Journey, about these experiences and my life. In all of this, my message is that there are small steps we can take to help us find our path to better physical and emotional health and closeness to God. There are three keys to new author success that enabled me to translate this message into a self-help program, a blog and, finally, a book. These are passion, people, and technological enhancements.

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Beginner’s Guide to Using Scrivener: A Writing Software for Authors

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As independent authors and writers, it’s easy to get into the weeds with our files, organization, and structures with our writing. One thing is clear, writing is hard work and we need all the help we can get to find our voice, get organized, and stay productive in our writing projects. For years, I’ve used a program called Scrivener. It’s a powerful writing software for authors I’ve found for many types of writing. It’s helped me stay organized and maintain an outline while I write. It allows me to review previous drafts all from one window, never having to leave the software.

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