Find Your Writing Tribe

The business of writing books is a tough industry to be in. It's tough to finish an entire book, for starters. It's tough to query--rejections can be soul-crushing, making it hard to pick yourself up and keep going. It's tough to be on submission to publishers. It's tough to self-publish!

What keeps me going through all the rough spots is my writing tribe. These are friends I've made along the way that I know are willing to listen to me vent, or will help me workshop my query, or read the ending of my book one more time to make sure I've really nailed it. Every friendship is different; some of them read my whole manuscript for me, some help me with pitches and query letters, others bounce ideas off me and let me do the same.

As I was reflecting on my writer friends and how I came to establish ties with all of them, I realized that they were all people who supported me publicly, and in turn who I supported publicly. Sometimes a couple of RTs on a #PitMad day were all it took to become friends. During the last NaNoWriMo, several of my friends on Facebook would cheer each other on every night as we wrote. When NaNo was over, we decided to keep the good vibes rolling by forming a private Facebook group where we could continue to share writing insights, challenge each other to writing sprints, and keep each other posted on where we were in the revision process. The strength I get from them is amazing.

I couldn't survive this writing journey without the help of my writer friends. I encourage you to support others in their writing, from complimenting a Twitter pitch to shouting about their books as much as you can. If you want to add more people to your tribe, look to those that already support you, and reach out to them. Ask for help when you need it. Keep yourself sane on this stressful wonderful journey!