Happy 2nd Birthday, Quill & Cup!

This week marks 2 years since - legend has it - @quillandcup founders Ania and Cody [Ray] sat down on the other side of the world and decided to take a leap of faith in their lives. I'm not sure they quite intended that leap to cover the entirety of the North Atlantic Ocean, to reach little old me in the middle of the Mediterranean.

It is quite extraordinary how the decisions of strangers can change the course of someone's life. For as they speak today of creating Quill & Cup at a low point in their lives, I have no doubt they didn't expect to become the life raft for so many other humans, so far away, weathering the same storm.
 

For my part, that is precisely what they did. At its heart, Quill & Cup is (and always shall be) a writing community. But to call it *only* that would be paying it an enormous disservice. The Hedgie House is also a support network unlike any other, of like-minded, kind, brilliant women who, through sheer grit and tenacity, have their sights set on something only a small percentage of the world has ever achieved: writing a book. Inspiring doesn't quite cut it as a word, either, but I haven't a better one.

I think there are stages of being a Quill & Cup member, that every hedgie quests through at some point, Save The Cat-style:

At first, you wonder if you're being sp*mmed in your DMs or if you're inadvertently being sold a pyramid scheme (you're not).

Then, having figured that, you receive an invitation that - and you don't know it at the time, but you will later - will change your life. There's the traditional moment of internal debate, but finally you accept the call to adventure, swallow your nerves and join your first Prickle. Within 1 minute of that first hour, you meet more deeply pleasant, funny, clever people than you might have done in the space of a year. It's enough to sign up as a hedgie, and unlock the door to a brave new world in which your writing goals are within reach and you have a global found family no longer the stuff of fiction. My own change arc is almost complete.

Happy birthday, Quill & Cup. Thank you for everything! xoxo
💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

This is a reflection posted by Quill & Cup member LM Best (Bestie) on her Instagram @bestiewritesbooks. It's no surprise that Bestie has been nominated as our Quill & Cup MEWs (Most Encouraging Writer)! She lives what we hope Quill & Cup women experience: empowerment, a big middle finger to fear, and the grit and tenacity to sit down and make dreams a reality. Click on the image below to add a writer to your community who has curiosity, enthusiasm, and belief in others in ample supply! 

Quill & Cup is a community of women who can't help but write. Founded in July 2021, Cody and Ania Ray built this fiercely supportive space for writers who want to prioritize writing as part of their busy lives. Learn more about what we believe and who Cody & Ania are!

We serve women from all around the world who commit to showing up to their writing consistently. Together we work through roadblocks in the writing process by receiving coaching on writing craft and research-based practices for an empowered mindset.

Would you like to show up with us?  Start your free 7 day trial today! See you at the table soon, sister!