Almost all my writer friendships have happened online via social media because I didn& #39;t grow up with the traditional literary pedigree (MFA, etc.) I read something by a writer that inspired me and started to follow them, talk with them, etc. Here are some: 1/n

This flash piece was my introduction to . @SejalShahWrites back in 2016. It spoke to my personal relationship experiences that I thought I couldn& #39;t write about. Until she showed me it was okay to do so. https://route9litmag.com/post/80855012929/skin

2/n">https://route9litmag.com/post/8085...

This 2016 essay by . @SoniahKamal at Literary Hub literally gave me the permission I felt I needed to write about tired South Asian tropes in fresh ways. https://lithub.com/when-my-authentic-is-your-exotic/.

3/n">https://lithub.com/when-my-a...

And this 2017 essay by . @anjalienjeti gave me the strength to keep writing and putting my work out there. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/09/why-im-still-trying-to-get-a-book-deal-after-10-years/539115/

4/n">https://www.theatlantic.com/entertain...

I found . @devislaskar when she responded to one of my tweets in 2018 about ageism in publishing. Her debut novel, which I then read, blew me away. And I& #39;m so honored she then blurbed my debut. https://twitter.com/devislaskar/status/1044643588791881728?s=20

5/n">https://twitter.com/devislask...

There are several other such inspiring writers. I need to do such threads often to share their specific works that have inspired me.

If a writer has inspired you in any way, share their work. Review their work. Interview them. Invite them to book events. Pay it forward.

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