Many writers see writing as a somewhat solitary pursuit. It’s true that we might spend much of our writing time working alone. However, other writers are a genuinely vast and unending resource, and not tapping into that is foolish!
Communicating, befriending, and helping and sharing our work with our fellow writers can bring so many benefits. Many of which help improve our writing and our make our writing life better too.
So what are the great lessons you can learn by getting involved with the writing community? Here are just a few of them.
Honest feedback
Your fellow writers all know how important it is to get honest feedback for your work. It can be very disheartening receiving rejection after rejection without knowing what you are doing wrong. From cover design to synopsis to the actual content of your book, your fellow writers can help you try to figure out what the problem might be - and because they’ve been through it themselves they are more likely to do it in a helpful and sensitive way!
New ideas
Reading the work of other writers is a gold mine for new ideas. Remember that it’s practically impossible to have a truly unique idea, and therefore don’t be ashamed about being inspired by your fellow writers or being influenced by them. There, of course, is a line that no writer should cross when it comes to ‘borrowing’ other writers work, but the more you read, the more you are likely to find new ideas that you can adapt and change to make your own.
Dealing with setbacks
Every writer goes on a journey, one that might be filled with many setbacks along the way. Writers are fantastic at supporting one another and sympathising with one another, as well as offering words of encouragement and motivation when things aren’t going your way. Remember if you are feeling down, are doubting yourself or finding it hard to recover from a setback, it’s important to try and get over it as quickly as possible. Reaching out and learning from other writers can be a great way of doing so.
Useful contacts
Your fellow writers are also super helpful when it comes to finding the best in the business regarding editors, book cover designers, promoters and so on. Getting recommendations from those who have used the services before can make all the difference when it comes to finding a reputable company to help make your book the very best it can be.
Writers really can be an invaluable source of help and comfort to one another. So when you are struggling with anything from inspiration and motivation to the more practical aspects of getting your book together, remember that your fellow writers are there to help!
This is one thing I'd like to get more of, but as I've said, it's hard to find other writers nearby without driving 20 or more miles. And I too would love to be able to read other people's works. Some of those to whom I had emailed my first draft nearly two years ago never responded. And the writers group that is said t exist in my town never seems to do anything. Why bother having it? I've been more eager to let others see what I have written, but can't seem to find anyone to let see it. I have shown it to others who don't consider themselves writers, but I think their feedback is just as important to me. But as this article says, you can learn from other writers and is what I would like to be doing. I feel I've learned from other writers just by reading what has already been published, but reading works-in-progress would be good too. I guess you can learn from other writers wither way.
It's been a while since I've done this prompt. This month's words were by Cindi at Letting the Words Escape.
bloody
confidence
ranger
Apollo
submarine
Byron
and/or
dictionary
groundhog
dancing
rain
silent
Germany
It had been an interesting first semester of college for Josh. For his English composition class, he had to read both the works of Lord Byron and the philosophies of Apollo. He also had to read works by various British authors and stumbled upon the British use of "bloody," a context with which he was unfamiliar and for which he needed to insult a dictionary.
For his history requirement, he had chosen a class on the Holocaust. It was interesting to learn about Germany during the war and the submarines and other means of transport during the war.
For the since requirements, he'd chosen meteorology. It was fun learning about the weather, and one day as it was raining, the class watched the rain from the window. Another student then spotted a groundhog running across the pavement outside the building. "It was as if Groundhog Day had come at the wrong time of the year," the other student said, after the groundhog had disappeared form the class's sight. On another day, a park ranger came to the class to do a slide presentation on snow in the mountains.
When the semester was over, Josh and gained a lot of knowledge and a confidence toward beginning his next round of classes in college. He then expressed his once silent desire to go out dancing in celebration.
On the surface organization and creativity don’t seem to go hand in hand. When you are feeling creative, you want to be free and not to be restricted by any rules. Organization is all about keeping tabs on what you are doing, having order, and routine.
When it comes to writing, however, if you aren’t organized it could have an adverse effect on your writing and, in turn, your creativity. It actually pays to self-impose some order into your writing day to ensure you will be at your most productive. It’s good to plan for the future, to do research, and yes, even to have a great filing system!
So what are the ways you can get organised and become a better writer? Let’s take a look:
Organizing your writing space
One of the biggest enemies of any writer is getting distracted. It’s all too easy to let other things get in the way of our writing and take over. To make sure this doesn’t happen it’s a good idea to try and keep your writing space as neat, tidy and organized as possible. If you know exactly where everything is as well as feel calm and comfortable in your writing space, you’ll find it so much easier to get on with your work.
Organizing your research
Your book will be so much better if you bother to do thorough research as you write. Organizing your research in a way that is most helpful to you is so important. It can be easy to start off researching with enthusiasm, but then when faced with actually using it find it muddling and confusing. By organising your research properly, you’ll know exactly which bits relate to which bits of your story and make it so much easier to call upon your research when necessary.
Organizing your files
Whether you like to work with paper files or have everything stored on your laptop, keeping your desktop free and having a good system in place so you can easily access everything you need will ensure you writing day runs smoothly and seamlessly!
Organizing your schedule
A writer without a writing schedule runs the risk of procrastinating or simply putting their writing off over and over again. By setting yourself a realistic but challenging writing schedule, you’ll be more likely to stick to writing regularly and will be so much more impressed with the progress that you make.
These organization tips are simple to implement and will help anyone who wants to write a book feel as though they are prepared and ready, and help them to stay on track.
Which tools do you use to stay organized? Let us know here!
I need to follow some of these more! I haven't really been using files, but I guess that's just the way I am. Everyone is different, so I guess everyone doesn't really need to follow the tips exactly as they are given in this piece. But the article does offer some good ideas, I'll agree on that. Even without following these ideas as listed, I don't think there were any adverse affects on my writing.
How about all you? How do you get organized when writing?
