By Betty Thomason Owens

Writing is a tough occupation, especially in today’s world when publishing has become a DIY industry. The market is glutted, and it’s hard to make a splash in such a big pond.

So, it’s more important than ever to take a hand’s-on approach to encouraging other writers, especially those just starting out. I recently had an opportunity to help someone that paid off in ways I never expected.

I met Kristy Horine through the Kentucky Christian Writers Conference (KCWC). She and I serve together on the planning committee. In the very first meeting she attended, Kristy fired off questions that had never even occurred to me. Questions that made our team dig deeper and helped prepare us to face issues that may arise.

I liked her from the start and invited her to become a contributor on a multi-author blog Jennifer Hallmark and I developed. Kristy is now one of our regular writers and we can always depend on her to come up with a thought-provoking, highly interesting, and many times humorous post. I make sure she knows how much we appreciate her excellent writing.

Kristy is no stranger to publishing. She’s written for magazines and publications. Here’s one of my favorites among her articles for Kentucky Monthly: Going North – A Creative Memory Because October Seems To Do That. She’s a poet and a blogger. Recently, she has taken up the fiction pen.

So, she showed up at our local ACFW meeting, loved it, and makes the trek (nearly two hours) almost every month. She has quickly become a favorite among our members. This girl seems to be able to make herself at home everywhere.

When she confessed her personal need for help as she learned fiction writing, of course I mentioned that I lead a small ACFW online critique group. I told her we could use another member. She jumped at the chance. She’s brought her probing questions along with her, nudging our writers (especially me) to dig deeper. She loved my story and even bought the first book in the series.

Turns out, she’s an encourager, too.

Click to tweet: Small Acts of Kindness: Kristy Horine is an encouragement to other writers. #kindnessmatters #amwriting

Betty Thomason Owens is a multi-published, award-winning author of historical fiction, and fantasy-adventure. An active member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), she leads a critique group, and serves as President of the Louisville area group. She’s a mentor, assisting other writers, and co-founder of the Inspired Prompt blog. She also serves on the planning committee of the Kentucky Christian Writers Conference.

Betty would like to invite you to her Facebook author page, Twitter, GoodReads, Pinterest, Instagram, Amazon Author Page, Inspired Prompt. And she posts weekly on her blog, Hello, Thursday Morning, found at https://bettythomasonowens.com/.

Find Betty’s books at Amazon.