The Community of Writers Is Large

It was a big day for me when I started writing for Operation Awesome nearly five years ago.

I felt unnecessary. There were a lot of bloggers out there, a lot of more accomplished writers with more to say about writing craft.

I felt exposed. For the first time, I was standing up in public and saying that I am a writer.

In the past five years, the industry has changed so much, and so have I. I lost my agent, published a book. Gained an agent, lost my publisher. Published a book again, sold another one. That's the short version. The long version happened day by day, word by word. It happened in my real life, and and a lot of happened here, with the writers and readers of Operation Awesome.

And now, as I'm stepping down as a blogger here, it's another big day.

I feel necessary. There are always more writers, always more books. I hope what I write matters to readers, but I can't control that part. Regardless, what I write matters to ME.

I feel exposed. This part is fine -- it's how a writer should feel. When you feel exposed, there are real emotions on the page. You have to open yourself if you want your words to matter.

And that's why I feel like I belong. Being part of Operation Awesome meant I was part of the community of writers. This community is large. It's diverse, inclusive, factional, and argumentative at times. It has big communal rooms, dark corners, murder holes, and secret passage ways. It's a magic castle and a home at the same time.

I'm leaving Operation Awesome, but Operation Awesome brought me into the writers' community. I'm grateful for all the posters and bloggers, and especially for the original group who dragged me along into blogging. I'm grateful for the people who I met here.

I'll see you all in other corners of the community we built together and that we all share.