Taking a leap

Taking a leap

In November of 2015, a friend and I held each other accountable for writing at least 750 words a day. Engaging in a daily habit of writing made me remember how much I love writing. It reminded me that writing is reflection; it's the only chance I get to slow down enough to think. And the deeper I get into this motherhood gig, the more I'm relying on writing to survive. So, in December I made a commitment to myself to write more.
To hold myself to this, I decided I'd send off at least one piece a month for publication (prior to this I've only been published in my former college's creative writing journal and in a book about teacher narratives). In January I had a few pieces about parenting and faith published on Her View From Home. The posts received enough views for me to sneak on as a monthly contributor. Then a piece I sent to Sammiches and Psych Meds was accepted for publication. I've received so many encouraging comments, messages, and emails about these articles and how they've helped others get through the arduous process of parenting children adopted from foster care or about how they have developed empathy for others. So, on a long shot this week, I took a leap, swallowed my self-doubt, and submitted a piece to the Huffington Post and followed it up with an email to Arianna Huffington (founder of the Huffington Post). She responded later that night with an offer to be a HuffPost blogger on the topic of foster-adoption. I'm thrilled that my writing is picking up some steam and is becoming helpful to others.

I've been talking lately with other writers and bloggers about the value of creating a separate social media presence for my writing-likeness. I've been looking for a way to develop a bigger audience without having to open up my own Facebook page to the world. So, at the urging of some fellow writers and bloggers, I created a separate Facebook page for Danielle Helzer, the writer (have I mentioned how uncomfortable it makes me to label myself a writer?!?)--not to be confused with danielle helzer, the person :)  I'm hoping to post links to my writing from this blog and others that I write on as well as links to articles and videos I find interesting. If you're looking for more ways to kill time or more things to read when you're hiding from your kids and significant other in the bathroom, give my Facebook page a like.