Author Kassandra Locke

Wow, what an amazing weekend. I hear it all over the place, ‘find your tribe!’. But what does that mean?

For the introvert like myself it’s not likely we will go out and find other quiet like minded people on our own. More often an extrovert finds us (Love you Ash) So do we say a prayer and hope to miraculously find those who can cheer us on and vice versa? That would be easier I’ll admit but it’s far from the case.

After much trepidation and a good dose of bravery, I trusted words on my heart to people I had never met, praying that I didn’t fall to the bottom of the contestant pile. I had submitted my writing. Not just anywhere but to the Oregon Christian Writers annual contest. I was invested. Seriously, I had to pay money to enter this. It was a real fear thinking I just paid to enter a contest that could come back and tell me that what I had was garbage.

To say my fears were ridiculous is an understatement. My score cards came in, several nail biting months later, and they weren’t bad! I hadn’t won the contest but I hadn’t failed either. They had great feedback! My ideas and my writing wasn’t horrible. We are our own worst critics and I was no exception.

Now it was time to be really brave. I was determined to learn more about this craft as I had been dreaming about it for years. I signed up to go to their writing conference… By myself… Remember me? The introvert? This should be good.

Getting settled in I decided to sit in the very front row of the ‘Newbie Orientation’ and low and behold one of the first things the speakers joked about was how everyone around me was also… INTROVERTED!

Imagine that, a room full of people just like me. What was even better was that joke was the ice breaker for the event. Suddenly, all these people just like me were getting brave enough to talk to one another. I wasn’t the only one to come not knowing anyone! Not only that, but as a writer, you get funny looks from people who don’t write when you try to talk to them about writing. THESE PEOPLE GOT ME! It didn’t matter what anyone was writing either. I met people writing memoirs, poetry, non-fiction, Bible Studies, Romance, and so many others but especially… FICTION!

Was this what it felt like? These people understood my need for make believe in my life. For characterization and metaphor and especially for the way words just needed to make their way out of us. God had called us to write and how wonderful it felt to not be alone! I found my tribe.

But lets talk about why I titled my first ever website entry RENEW. The theme weaving throughout the conference wasn’t just spoken about in the keynote speeches, which were amazing (Thank you so much to Amanda Dykes for pouring out your heart to us)! But it was reinforced in the actions and kindness in everyone around me. I was being RENEWED!

So here you’ve found me. Formally beginning my writing career with the encouragement and renewed hope in my future AND my abilities. And I have to give a big shout out to the OCW for hosting such a monumental event in my life and to the friends I made there. You are all INSPIRING! Cheers to the make believe adventures we hope will touch your hearts the way writing them has touched ours.

Yours truly,

Kassandra Locke