It's Insecure Writers Support Group Day!

 February 2 2022

I'll bet you thought I was kidding! It's really a thing!

This is my first time joining this blog and I'm glad I am. The question for the day brought tears to my eyes when I read it. Today's question is:

Is there someone who supported or influenced you that perhaps isn't around anymore? Anyone you miss?

When I first joined our local writing group, we were also joined by a lovely man named Len Rich who was a fisherman, freelance writer, and mentor to many. His death in 2009 was a huge shock because he was one of those larger than life people with boundless energy. I loved our chats about writing and he was one of the most encouraging people I was grateful to meet! The paragraph below from Outdoor Canada says it best:

For those who didn’t know Len, he was one of the deans of Canada’s outdoor writing community, a Hemingway-esque figure, what with his shock of white hair, white beard and near omni-present fishing garb. I’d only known Len a few years, but came to respect him immensely for his many years of mentoring up-and-coming writers through the Outdoor Writers of Canada. Indeed, Len’s contributions were recognized in 2007 when he was presented with the OWC’s Jack Davis Mentorship Award. (https://www.outdoorcanada.ca/an-outdoor-life-lived-len-rich-1938-2009/)

Another amazing person I had the priviledge of working with became a good friend. Laura was another writer in the group who is a wiz with editing! She even made a mockup of a front cover for my first book, The Bookstore Lady, long before it was ever in print. We killed off many pots of coffee while talking writing and editing. Even though kids and jobs soon consumed our time, we still keep in touch and I love "talking shop" with her.

Since I've had such great mentors who encouraged me along the way, I became a mentor and a book coach to help others. It's great to not only hear the kinds of stories other people have in mind but to help them muddle their way through until it's something they are even more proud of! 

It has also encouraged me to host a blog called Escape with a Writer where I share books by other authors. I've lost count of how many people I've hosted over the past two years but it's well over 200!

To find out more or to join me on the blog, go to my website: https://dianebator.ca/

Find out more about the Insecure Writers Support Group at:  https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/