Hello, darklings!
Writing can be lonely business.
It means carving out time daily to be alone with your muse. It means pacing and talking to yourself. It means saying no to watching movies, going out, and whittling down holiday obligations to not interrupt your flow.
I like to say writing is like having two jobs and two marriages (if you’re into that sort of thing). The craft occupies both time and emotional spoons. If you are a writer that also works full time in some other field, you are going to sacrifice resources to do what you love.
So knowing all this, may sound strange what I am going to suggest.
Get writer friends.
Yep. Get online, go to your local library, go to conventions, all that, and get you some buddies who are also dedicated to the writing craft. If you can’t find that, at least find some readers who love to discuss what they read.
Because unless you are super lucky and in a family of writers or in a relationship with a writer, chances are you’re not with anyone you can talk shop with. Also, your friends and families are often the worst people to go to for encouragement and feedback on your writing. Another writer can understand your need for validation and assist in sharpening skills. Your other friends cannot.
Honing skills is important. I wrote solo before. I was super shy about my writing. I would do that thing where, as I’m writing, I think it’s great, and then when I read it later, I would be just “This is the worst writing ever!” When I started talking with other writers online and getting feedback and asking for suggestions, that’s when I really learned how to make my writing better and quieting the voice of “Worst Writer Ever.”
We need that feedback. We need that encouragement and cheerleading squad. We need that validation of, yes, it’s not great now, but you can make it great.
You will not get that among people who are not consumers/crafters of books.
So go out there, darling corvids, and flock together.
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