{"id":113,"date":"2020-10-12T11:16:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-12T17:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/?p=113"},"modified":"2021-02-12T12:49:44","modified_gmt":"2021-02-12T19:49:44","slug":"113-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/113-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Find Your People. Love Them Hard."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>I USED TO THINK WRITING WAS A SOLO ENDEAVOR.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You sit down in your basement or bedroom or whatever hovel you\u2019ve dedicated to grinding out your current project and you get on with it. And when you\u2019re done, you celebrate with people who love you but who can never really understand the act of inking your soul onto a page.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I moved to Calgary nine years ago, I joined a writing class. I had been writing my whole life, had a minor in creative writing from the University of Dalhousie, but had never really committed myself to a writing community. In a city where I knew very few people (and honestly cried on the daily because I missed home), it was a way to get out of the house, to meet others who were doing something I loved. I never dreamed that this writing community would turn into an integral pillar of my life. But that\u2019s exactly what it has become.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"504\" height=\"504\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/MegFYPLTHA.jpeg?resize=504%2C504&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-114\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/MegFYPLTHA.jpeg?w=504&amp;ssl=1 504w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/MegFYPLTHA.jpeg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/MegFYPLTHA.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 504px) 100vw, 504px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The members of my writing circle \u2013 the people to whom I\u2019ve showed the depths of my soul, and taken a look deep into theirs in return \u2013 are the people who I trust beyond measure to be honest, to pick me up and dust me off, to hold my feet to the fire and push me to be better \u2013 not only in writing, but in life. They are cheerleaders and grief counselors and editors and mentors. They are the reason that I hold my head high regardless the number of rejections crowding my inbox or number of chapters left to meet a deadline.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/10\/meghan2.jpg?w=676\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1236\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are a writer or creative of any sort, find your people.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Find those who understand the lows, the rejections, the long nights and crippling doubt.&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The people who know exactly when to build you up and when you need a hard kick in the pants. Because you know as well as I do that if you\u2019ve chosen this creative path, there are a lot of downs. A lot of moments where it all feels pointless, where you\u2019re not sure that you are or ever can make a difference, where it\u2019s hard and lonely and tedious. Where sometimes the only motivation to finish is someone screaming in your ear that you are great, that your contribution is needed, and that no matter what you believe about yourself, they will always be in your corner.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Find your people. Love them hard. And make sure they know exactly how much they mean to you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You sit down in your basement or bedroom or whatever hovel you\u2019ve dedicated to grinding out your current project and you get on with it. And when you\u2019re done, you celebrate with people who love you but who can never really understand the act of inking your soul onto a page.  &#8211; Meghan Victoria<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[24,32,26,41,43,42],"class_list":["post-113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-post","category-the-corner-lot-authors","tag-meghanvictoria","tag-thecornerlotauthors","tag-writing","tag-writing-community","tag-writing-encouragement","tag-writing-support","post-preview"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":108,"url":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/a-limited-number-of-twilights\/","url_meta":{"origin":113,"position":0},"title":"A Limited Number of Twilights","author":"Meghan Victoria","date":"August 31, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"On Monday, a dear friend died. He was young, and vibrant, and full of kindness and love and light. He had been sick for a while, but as prepared as you think you can be, you\u2019re never actually prepared to never see someone again. - Meghan Victoria","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog Post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog Post","link":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/category\/the-corner-lot-authors\/blog-post\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/MegLNTA.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":93,"url":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/bad-poetry-and-weird-kids\/","url_meta":{"origin":113,"position":1},"title":"Bad Poetry and Weird Kids","author":"Meghan Victoria","date":"May 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I was a weird kid. Nothing reminds me of this more than stumbling across scraps of old writing. I\u2019m the girl who detailed an entire map and convinced her best friend there was treasure buried in the backyard... - Meghan Victoria","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog Post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog Post","link":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/category\/the-corner-lot-authors\/blog-post\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/MegBPWKB.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/MegBPWKB.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/MegBPWKB.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44,"url":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/the-fall-and-rise-of-an-earth-witch\/","url_meta":{"origin":113,"position":2},"title":"The Fall and Rise of an Earth Witch","author":"Meghan Victoria","date":"February 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s still not widely accepted to talk to trees. But the people in my life love and support me for all that I am, and the many things that I am not. I am no longer ashamed of the things that set my heart on fire. - Meghan Victoria","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog Post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog Post","link":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/category\/the-corner-lot-authors\/blog-post\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo of Forest","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MeghanNEW2Header-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MeghanNEW2Header-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MeghanNEW2Header-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MeghanNEW2Header-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MeghanNEW2Header-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/MeghanNEW2Header-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":116,"url":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/how-to-release-your-magic\/","url_meta":{"origin":113,"position":3},"title":"How to Release Your Magic","author":"Meghan Victoria","date":"December 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"To release your magic, follow these instructions exactly. Do not falter, do not hesitate. Do not look back from where you\u2019ve come, or forward to where you\u2019re going. Be here, in this moment, right now. - Meghan Victoria","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog Post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog Post","link":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/category\/the-corner-lot-authors\/blog-post\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/M6.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/M6.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/M6.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/M6.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":104,"url":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/dear-men\/","url_meta":{"origin":113,"position":4},"title":"Dear Men","author":"Meghan Victoria","date":"July 6, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Covid has me cleaning out closets and getting rid of old baggage. A cathartic reorganization of past memories that no longer serve me. Ass kicking my way down memory lane, cherry picking what to hold on to and what to let go. - Meghan Victoria","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog Post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog Post","link":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/category\/the-corner-lot-authors\/blog-post\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/MegDMA.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":236,"url":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/on-singing\/","url_meta":{"origin":113,"position":5},"title":"On Singing","author":"Meghan Victoria","date":"May 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I love to sing. There is a calling deep in my blood to make beauty with music. To heal with music. Which is somewhat tragic in that I have never considered myself a \u201cgood singer\u201d. To be completely truthful, I used to tell people I was tone deaf. And though\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog Post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog Post","link":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/category\/the-corner-lot-authors\/blog-post\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_2807-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_2807-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_2807-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_2807-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_2807-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/IMG_2807-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":125,"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113\/revisions\/125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecornerlotauthors.com\/meghanvictoria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}