Often, a novel is referred to as a baby.
We writers spend hours upon hours, nurturing, directing, tearing down and building up.
And, like bringing up children, we can’t do this alone. No matter how much we want to.
WARNING: SEGUE
Writers are, it seems, by nature, solitary types. We sit in a room full of people and don’t enjoy interacting, but we LOVE to listen and watch others interact. We are, for the most part, introverts. As my hubby says, We travel in large packs of one.
But we need other writers. It’s true. I’ve tried doing it on my own. A second or third or even fourth brain is NOT ONLY HELPFUL, but necessary. These other brains are important for helping us work through whatever strange turn our story is taking us. Or, often more importantly, to let us know we don’t need to be tossed into a rubber room.
No man is an island. No typewriter key gets jammed alone.
(Deep breath, I’m bringin’ it home.)
Get yourself a brain trust: your village. It won’t be easy. First, you have to find a group of writers–wait! Let me rephrase that, first you have to find a group of serious writers who don’t take things too seriously. But it will be worth it.
My village encourages me and helps me reword rambles, catch my random commas and odd spelling errors.
Roadster Romance would be so much less than what it is without my brain trust, the story’s aunts and uncles and godparents.
And now Life’s a Beach is getting ready for it’s debut. And again, it’s with the help of my writing family.
Who’s have thought writing authoring was a group activity?
Edited to add:
Check out L.P. Masters blog post annoy perfection and about being Roadster’s auntie.