We all have them, those people with whom we share our lives with, in good times and in bad—aside from spouses, of course.
They are our friends.
Whether they are the childhood friends we grew up with, the friends from high school that we never parted from or had the chance to rekindle the friendship later in life, or the friends from college that held our hair as we spent the night in front of a toilet, or held the tissues and spooned ice cream into our mouths after a nasty breakup. Perhaps they didn’t even come into our lives until recently, after a move across the country or with a new job.
No matter how you met them, friends are an important part of our lives. They give us advice, a shoulder to cry on, and an ear to listen as we either voice exciting news or scream into the phone (or their face) venting about life. They share in our joyous moments as well as the moments we never ever want to think about.
The list of different friendships for everyone can be as different as night and day, and yet, every single friendship is important and should be cherished. Single friends, married friends, friends with children, friends without children, the list goes on and on. But for a writer, there is one particular friend that stands out:
the writer friend.
Any writer can agree that having writer friends is the glue that can hold you together at times. They are motivators, supporters, and sounding boards you throw ideas at when you are stuck on a chapter or scene. They also understand in ways non-writer friends can’t the trials and tribulations of the world you have become completely obsessed with. Let’s face it, even though non-writing friends are sacred, writing friends are the difference between insanity and sanity when you are in the process of writing a novel.
Writing friends are the like the Ethel to our Lucy in both friendship and helping plot out crazy, harebrained ideas . . . like writing a novel for instance.
So where do we find writer friends?
Aside from recruiting your current friends—you’d be surprised at how your own writing can spur others into wanting to give it a go—local writing groups, conferences, and workshops are an excellent way to meet fellow writers. Joining social media groups is another. Facebook is full of excellent choices that are full of, not only information, but people just like you, who are trying to dip their toes into this crazy career we call being an author.
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I love this post so much, Angela! I don’t know where I’d be without my writing friends. I am lucky to have a local circle due to a writing community that sprang out of a particular private seminar-style class. My online friends (new and old) are very dear and important to me too!
On a writing retreat two years ago, we (the local writer friends) talked about how sharing our novels with each other is incredibly important. We all agreed we’d keep writing, whether or not we get published, as long as we could share our work with each other. I love that these writer friends are cheerleaders but they’re also honest about what doesn’t work. I’m a better writer because of my writer friends.
Thank you, Laura!
Brilliant post! I know exactly what you mean. I have three friends (including a cousin) that I have coaxed into my two of writing groups. (Three are keepers and three or four did not ‘take’ but are still good friends). I host a writing night at my house every other week, with a big pot of supper on the stove, so folks can come straight from work if they need to. That has been a nice way to get know writing friends.
I loved your post, and I expect I will love your blog!
Thank you, Naomi! I look forward in getting to know you and your blog!
Reblogged this on Angela Christina Archer and commented:
Happy Throw-Back Thursday!! I thought we’d start with one of my favorites from back in my early blogging days.