In the mid-2000s I joined a 5-person writing group at a bookstore about an hour away from my house. I was absolutely nervous and wasn’t sure what to bring or what to do, so I printed out 5 copies of literally everything I had ever written and came to this group with a huge Rubbermaid tote (the big kind you use for holiday decorations or extra blankets and clothes). Yes, it was ridiculous.

I sat down and had my first experience with authors without any kind of safety net from a job or school. There I was, a guy who was just getting his feet wet in the business, wasn’t really telling that many people I was in the business, talking to people on a Saturday about how semicolons and run-on sentences work.

I must have made an impression, because they invited me back and I kept coming back for two years. Then I was asked to take over leadership of the group.

The day I took over, the group had 8 members. Within a year it had 16, within 3 years it had over 100 members, and met multiple times a week, doing a combination of workshops and critique groups.

I ran that group for nearly 10 years.

Did I mention I ran every single three-hour session? For free?

There were benefits though. I made lifelong friendships and watched authors grow and get published. I watched them win awards and go on to mentor other writers and artists. What started as a few people talking about writing became a community and a hub for creativity.

That writing group changed my life and confirmed for me that this was the trajectory my life should be on – pursuing my passion and helping people write better.