A Rising Tide, by Lori Roberts Herbst

When I started writing (taking it seriously, that is), I’d recently retired from a lengthy career in which I’d experienced some level of success and accumulated a huge database of knowledge. I was…well, let’s just say unless I was going to live to 104, middle age was in my rearview mirror. So, it was jarring to me to once again be in the “I don’t know what the heck I’m doing” stage of a new pursuit.

 

In the beginning, I read book after book about the craft. I lurked on writers’ Facebook groups. I wrote, deleted, wrote some more, deleted again, sighed the dark sighs of the almost-defeated, and forced myself to peck away at the keyboard.

 

It was a lonely pursuit.

 

Thankfully, I had one author friend, Nicki Huntsman Smith. Without her, I likely would have thrown in the towel after the first delete. Nicki encouraged me, prodded me, and nudged (okay, shoved) me past my initial self-doubts. But she is a post-apocalyptic and horror writer, and I definitely lean cozy. I found myself longing for a kindred spirit who could give me specific guidance in my genre.

 

Then I somehow stumbled across Sisters in Crime, along with its Guppy Chapter. I knew that I’d found my circle. SinC members pointed me toward crime writer conferences such as Malice Domestic and Killer Nashville. These conferences were filled with like-minded people who possessed the knowledge and expertise I craved. (Side note: meeting a wonderful author at Killer Nashville is actually how I was introduced to even more marvelous crime writer and became a member of Writers Who Kill. Thank y
ou again, Martha Reed!).

 

Another plus: my crime writer friends are some of the funniest, kindest, most generous people I’ve ever known. They are quick to share resources and advice. Happy to tell you about their own successes—and failures. Pleased if their experiences can keep you from making a mistake of your own. I can’t tell you how amazed I’ve been at the giving nature of the crime writing community.

 

Don’t get me wrong—we writers are competitive beings. Mostly, though, we compete with ourselves, striving to make the next book better than the one before. Still, writers like to “win” as much as the next person. But what I’ve discovered is that, among writers (most of them, anyway), one person’s
win doesn’t mean another person’s loss. My writer friends celebrate each other’s successes with spirited sincerity. They truly want to see each other win. They lift each other. I hope I’m growing up to be just like them.

 

I once heard a mystery writer say (and I’m paraphrasing): Readers read a lot more than I can write. Therefore, I’m not competing with another author for readers. The well of readers won’t run dry if another author sells a thousand books, or even a million. There are plenty of readers to go around, and many of them are voracious. So, when someone else is successful, that’s good for me, too. It means that author’s readers have a whetted appetite. They want more good books. And there’s a market for what I have to offer. 

 

In other words, a rising tide lifts all boats. I’m so thankful to be part of this generous group of people, and I look forward to paying it forward and thus giving back a little of what they’ve given me.

 

Who has helped you along your journey, whatever unique journey that might be?

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Lori Roberts Herbst writes the Callie Cassidy Mysteries, a cozy mystery series set in Rock Creek Village, Colorado. To find out more and to sign up for her newsletter, go to www.lorirobertsherbst.com