Member Spotlight :: hope*writer Erica D. Welch

To learn more about Erica’s writing, you can visit her website, check out her podcast, or find her on Instagram.

When hope*writer Erica D. Welch planned her first live online workshop on self-publishing, she wasn’t expecting that everything would go wrong all at once. Even after she lost her internet connection, had to move locations, forgot her microphone, and had family members drop in unexpectedly, she decided to view the experience not as a failure, but as valuable feedback for her next live event.

"Yesterday was as bad as it could get,” Erica wrote in our hope*writers Facebook group. “If you’ve recently experienced a ‘fail,’ look at it as valuable feedback for your next attempt. Press into the disappointment . . . then show up again." 

Erica has been showing up to write since she was a child, and she’s never given up. She’s always taken her writing seriously, and her family supported her writing by providing the tools she needed to succeed. But as Erica grew as a writer, she realized she needed additional support from a writing community who could commiserate over losses, offer advice, and celebrate writing wins.

A self-published writer of nonfiction and poetry, Erica already had a strong grasp of the craft of writing. She realized she needed help with the business side of publishing, and joined hope*writers. Through training offered by hope*writers co-founder Brian Dixon, Erica learned how to promote her work, grow an email list, and cultivate her platform as an author.

In addition to finding guidance for marketing her work, Erica tells hope*writers that the greatest resource she’s found in our community is the smaller, member-directed hope*circle that she’s a part of. She joined a group of fellow self-published writers within the greater hope*writers community to form a hope*circle based on their specific needs. This has helped Erica form deeper connections with writers on the same publishing path, and has been invaluable as she works on her upcoming book release.

When asked why hope*writers is the right community for her, Erica says it’s "because they offer hope to writers . . . I love how supportive the community is of writers, no matter how or if they choose to publish, which is a big consideration for me as an indie author and aspiring hybrid author."

As a writer with writing interests as varied as nonfiction, poetry, inspirational romance, self-publishing, and a forthcoming Bible study, Erica’s expertise and experience are a gift to her fellow hope*writers. She shares both her wins and losses with a healthy dose of hope for other writers who find themselves struggling and succeeding. 

Are you interested in finding a writing community that helps you make progress like Erica? Click here to learn more about how to join hope*writers!