Five Reasons Why Writers Need Writer Friends

Recently, I had the privilege of attending the Columbus, Ohio SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrator’s) spring conference. Although it was a rainy, dreary day outside, it was anything but dreary inside. The speaking line up was fabulous! We heard from so many wonderful professionals and gathered so much information it has taken me more than a week just to “unpack” it all.

And while I have pages and pages in my notebook of ideas and tips from the brilliant professionals there, one thing has been on the fringe of my mind since the conference. Yes, I was thrilled to gather so much awesome and useful information, but I also realized I was just as thrilled to be among fellow writers and to make new friends. I couldn’t help but walk away with this sense about the importance of comradery with other writers.

Writing can be a lonely business. Many times, we sit alone with our thoughts and our computers and try to pound our ideas onto paper. [I don’t know about you, but sometimes my thoughts seem a lot more profound in my head than they do on paper.] This whole process can be frustrating and exhausting. And many days I wonder why I do what I do. We are bombarded with revisions, rewrites and rejections – finding an agent, getting a book deal, doing a little marketing, processing the good and the bad reviews – and then still trying to work on our next idea! It is a long and tiresome process that is for sure. But I have realized that having writer friends can be a huge help along the way. Here’s why:

First, other writers share our passion. They understand the industry and love books as much as we do. What better person to discuss books with and the industry than another writer?

Second, other writers can give us honest and useful feedback because they understand the craft of writing. Sure it may sting sometimes, but nothing is more valuable during the revision process than having another professional critique our work.

Third, other writers can empathize with what we are going through. They know the challenges of writing including the emotions involved with sharing something that comes from our heart and risking rejection. They know firsthand the frustrations, the exhaustion as well as the exhilaration when something goes our way.

Fourth, other writers get our quirky sense of humor and our passion for the craft of writing. While other people may see us as book nerds, a writer friend will be thrilled to hear our thoughts on a book’s story line, the use of back story, the world building, and the internal dialogue and so on. While other people may glaze over, a writer friend may be enthralled with the analysis.

Fifth, writers help one another out. They publicize their friends’ books, celebrate their successes and commiserate with their failures. And we never know where the relationship will take us. In fact, I would not be writing for Enslow Publishers today if it had not been for a fellow writer friend whose twin sister needed a co-author at the time. This then opened a door for me and I have since written seven books for Enslow. (The seventh is set to release in September 2011). I owe a lot to that writer friend!

So as I continue to “unpack” and review my notes from the COSCBWI conference a couple weeks ago, I also am reminded of how important it is to maintain friendships with other writers along the way. Yes, it is important to network with editors and agents, but I think it’s just as important to network with the fellow writers sitting next to us at conferences. And I am so thankful for the many friends I met at COSCBWI!