The Writing Community

March of every year is Brain Injury Awareness Month. It’s a time when brain injury survivors, caregivers, and medical professionals rally together to raise awareness about the impact and dangers of brain injuries.

It is a very strong and informative community that is willing to help others cope with an invisible disability that affects one and a half million Americans each year.[i] This is the first year I’ve decided to participate in the community awareness effort.

I shared my personal story about my disappointments, struggles, and successes since suffering my T.B.I. in 1997. The response has been tremendous and I’ve learned much more from others who have similar injuries. A community such as this has many benefits:

• Encouragement and inspiration.
• Contacts.
• Opportunities.
• Shared lessons.

Although each brain injury is different, we can still learn from each other. Being part of the community is a cooperative effort where individuals both give and take along with others. I hope that I helped others as much as they’ve opened my eyes.

Ever since my accident, loud noises or too many sounds at once seem to frustrate me and hurt my ears. All of this time I thought it was simply because my ears were compensating for my poor eyesight.

However, over the course of the month, I encountered countless stories from others about how loud sounds affect them negatively, too. It only took me more than twenty years to learn this and I may have never understood it if it weren’t for the brain injury community!

Likewise, I’ve been fortunate to know and learn from many gracious and giving writer friends within the writing community. The same mindset applies within this community—we give as much as we take. The community is all about sharing and helping others.

COMMUNITY?

Here are a few of the dictionary’s definitions of community:

1. The people with common interests living in a particular area.
2. A body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society.
3. An interacting population of various kinds of individuals (such as species) in a common location.
4. Joint ownership or participation.
5. A social state or condition.
6. Social activity: fellowship.

The benefit of community is never having to go it alone in our common area of interest. I can’t count how many times I have hit a brick wall in my writing and reached out to fellow writers for help. My biggest cheerleader on my journey, DiAnn Mills, always reminds writers to expect an adventure. There are ups and downs in this profession. One of the great aspects of writing for AlmostAnAuthor.com is being connected to writers of different mediums who are willing to help and offer advice.

Recently while I was doing a revision of a screenplay, I reached out to some other screenwriting friends for some tips and advice. One of them is a thirty year Hollywood veteran who has graciously mentored and helped me hone my craft of screenwriting. He doesn’t hold back and gives me the stone cold truth. A couple of years ago he shared with me about his own troubles in learning the craft. I feel honored and privileged to have him share some of his wisdom with me, no matter how blunt it may be.

TOUGH LOVE?

Every since I first became a part of the writing community almost a decade ago, I have been shown tough love by some of the most respected writers and editors in the business. For example: After failing to proofread my bio for a writing course, I was quickly rejected by the program—only to be given a second chance.  What’s more, I received sage advice from Jerry Jenkins himself, who said, “From here on out write like a professional. I don’t care if it’s a love letter to your sweetheart, proofread it like a professional. All of your writing is an example of your work.”

Less than six months later my first writing mentor Roger Palms told me, “There are no shortcuts, learn the craft.” The truth may sting at first, but in the end, it is for our good. Honest critique from fellow writers:

• Builds our writing skills.
• Prepares us for the journey ahead.
• Shows us where we need to improve.

 You don’t have to be disabled to need help in life. We can learn from the mistakes of others and hopefully avoid them ourselves. Author Jerry Jenkins is known for his no-nonsense “thick-skin” critiques where he pulls no punches in his honest evaluations of a would-be author’s work. He has helped launch the careers of many writers within the writing community.

How have you benefited from the kindness of the writing community?

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[i] https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/pubs/tbi_report_to_congress.html

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.