Stories & Songs of Spring

The first week of March has been one of inspiration, community and learning! Along with hundreds of other women, I'm grateful to have been a part of a conference designed to help support women in publishing. From sunup to sundown, each day was jam-packed with informative presentations, interviews with industry leaders, and chances to connect with writers, editors, agents, and publishers. 

 

With so much knowledge from women who have been in this business for years, I'm still processing all the useful tips, advice and strategies offered. As a writer, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by all the steps that must be taken in order for your manuscript to go from its early, rough draft stages to a completed, published book with an audience of real readers. 

The supportive and informed connections I made during the Women in Publishing in summit are perhaps my biggest and most important take-away from a week of constant Zooming, including Coffee & Chats, Q&As, and Live Office Hours with presenters. 

Yes, as writers we often write alone. We need solitude in order to arrange our thoughts and get the words down. But when it comes to learning about the process and business of writing and publishing our work, we need to share and learn from each other. And we need encouragement in order to share our stories with the world, and succeed in a business where you can easily feel lost at sea. 

To all the women I've connected with this week, I'm so happy to have found you! I'm excited to hear about what you're working on, where you are in the writing or publishing process, and what story or idea you are passionate about bringing to readers. Thank you for taking the time to connect; I hope you found the conference as inspirational and motivational as I did. 

With Spring already showing its warmth and flowering buds at my Southern home, I'm hopeful that March will continue to show itself to be a month of good tidings. In my household, it is usually a time of a flurry of activities for both myself and my children. In the midst of school exams, sports activities and arts programs I will endeavor to continue writing, and often find that it is this season of year when I'm most inspired! 

For those who know me, you know that in addition to writing and mothering, you can also find me singing. Spring is going to be a season of song indeed, as I'm currently singing with three choirs and am in a vocal workshop with an opera company.

I'll leave you with a song that feels like a beautiful breath of spring to me; I recorded it with The Stay at Home Choir last fall and it was released in February. It is a song of home, of hope - and of love. I hope you enjoy, and thank you so much for dropping by my blog today. Be safe, well, & inspired! 😊-Stacie 

Caledonia by Dougie MacLean, sung by VOCES8 & The Stay at Home Choir