5 Reasons Writers Need Each Other

One of my friends, Linnette Mullin, references a quote in her book Finding Beth that describes writers as “blue monkeys living in a brown monkey world.”  I don’t know about you, but that describes me.

We writers are unique creatures.  Many of us are introverts who prefer to be locked in a room with a computer or pen and paper for hours without interruption—we thrive on alone time.  In contrast to social butterflies, we draw our energy, not from socializing but from internalizing and thinking.  We have a lot to say, but not necessarily through our mouths.

 

But that doesn’t mean we should live as if on an island.

The first time I connected with other writers, joy rippled through me.  These people are just like me, I thought.

 

Now we get together regularly, but not for games or football.  We connect to share our writing and learn.  I’ll be the first to admit, we can be nerds.  Normal people don’t get excited over words, but we do.  Pass the coffee anyone?

Finding others who share my passion and understand my struggles and goals has relieved me of feeling isolated and continuously grows my gift .   Based on my experience, here are 5 reasons you need to find more writing buddies today.

Connections .  The more you know, the more places you’ll go.  Networking with other writers will open unexpected doors.  I found my first critique group through friends at a writing conference.  The more connections you have, the more opportunities you will find.

Growth.  My writer friends push me to be better and go farther.  We constantly learn from each other and grow as a result of constructive feedback.

Support.  I would venture to say that all writers struggle at times.  I haven’t met a writer yet (published or unpublished) who hasn’t admitted to struggling.  Many of us question ourselves and our abilities regularly.  When rejection comes knocking, we want to quit.  Surely we need each other for encouragement to push through those dark, daunting times.

Platform.  As writers, we help each other out when it comes to building a platform, or a fan base.  We read each others’ works, and we tell our friends in order to get the word out there.  We like and share each others’ posts and promote each other regularly.

Accountability.  If I know I’m meeting with my writing friends consistently, then I have to make sure I write something by certain dates.   Having a regular schedule keeps me on track with my goals.

    

Look around and take an inventory.  How many of your friends share your passion to write?  Do any of them help you revise and edit your writing?  Do they challenge you to write more and write better? 

I’m not advocating trading in your friends for new ones.  We all have friends that enhance different parts of our lives.  But if you don’t have many writing friends, it’s time to seek out some.  The best place to start is through critique groups (click here for suggestions on one of my previous posts), social media, and school. 

Trust me.  You need more writing friends.  Seeking out friends who share my passion to write was the best step I ever took as a writer.

How do you connect with other writers?  Start the conversation below!