Starting my serious pursuit of writing as a stay-at-home-mom comes with its advantages: I have no outside income that I have to ever question whether I should quit in order to pursue writing full time. I’m (nearly) by a computer or a pen and paper whenever I need to be (unless someone needs a nose wiped or more breakfast). But, it also comes with its disadvantages.

When I started getting bolder about telling others about my writing, writers overwhelmingly responded that I needed to join a writing group and go to conferences. But, with no outside income (and as I have said before, I don’t want to fund this with the family income) and no childcare, it made both of those options fairly inaccessible.

I was content writing alone in my bedroom during nap time, and I figured I needed a larger portion than 5,000 words to take to writing groups and workshops. I’d work away at home by myself and flesh out what I could. Sure, outside opinion is helpful, but I could limp by without it.

A few days into April, I was scrolling through Instagram and stopped on a photo of a novel planning worksheet. The poster is a writer whom i have followed for years. She has published one nonfiction book and is a freelance writer, but she wanted to complete a novel – a new area of writing she hadn’t conquered yet.

I went in search of the worksheet, but ran into problems. The worksheet, put out by Ink and Grace Editing, was only available to her online writing group. The writing group registration ended two days prior. Not being discouraged, I posted on Ink and Grace’s Instagram in hopes of being notified of the next writing group. Ashly of Ink and Grace Editing messaged me a little later asking if I wanted to join.

I tried to remain poised and calm in my response, but I’m pretty sure my response was riddled with exclamation points.

To say I was excited is a gross understatement.

It’s getting hard to count how many times God has showed up in this writing pursuit. I started out in February worrying I would never think of a story; I now have my main one and an idea for the next. I worried about telling others I’m a writer without any published works; I have received overwhelming support. I have received countless confirmations through sermons. I also now have a writing group that I’m a part of that’s filled with amazing writers and is on a time schedule and location I can work with. The writing group appeared in my life to no credit of my own. This is no coincidence.

I hate to get ahead of myself (I’m sixty percent dreamer and 40% realist), but this is the first time in years that I look at my writing and think, “I could seriously be published.” With work and a whole heap of God’s provision and grace, my dream is materializing before me.