3 Reasons Why You Need a Writing Support Team

Having a writing partner doesn't just keep you on track, it's a lot of fun as well!

Last week I wrote about the importance of having a core group of writers to help combat issues with Writers Isolation. This week I'd like to talk about accountability partners. Whether found in the form of a critique group, a single friend you meet up with regularly for "coffee dates," or through an online forum, I've discovered three vital reasons for having a writing support team:

Having a writing support team keeps you focused

I have a mind that wanders worse than a puppy set loose in a 5-acre fenceless field. I stare at the sky. I stare at the grass. I think lots of thoughts. I have lots of ideas I want to do something with, and sometimes I get so wrapped up in the planning stage it kills my productivity. I've written in the past that I found an accountability partner in my friend Xochi; we share in what's happening in nearly every aspect of our lives, but most importantly we know we can safely confide in each other about our writing ups and downs.

One of the things I love the most about our friendship is that when she reads through my work she's not afraid to lovingly call me out when I meander down a rabbit trail. Without telling me what to do to fix it she'll point out where I got off track, suggest passages to reconsider, and offer up a couple tips that, after I mull them over a bit, get me moving in the right direction again.

Having a writing support team keeps you moving forward

Ultimately, the only person responsible for getting you to sit down and finish what you've started is yourself, but it sure helps to have someone to bounce ideas off of — and when necessary, keep you on task. Xochi and I try to set aside some time every week to bring each other up to speed about what's going on. Her first question to me is always the same: How's the book project coming? How's the blog?

We both understand that life gets pretty hectic at times. This past year I've worked a number of odd jobs doing everything from leading a middle school and high school youth group, caregiving, and more recently working the breakfast shift and helping with housekeeping duties at a local river lodge to make ends meet. Xochi's a wife, the mother of a teenaged boy, and a student working towards her Masters. There are days we forget we're both writers as well, and if we want to continue being writers, we have to write.

Having a writing support team challenges you as an individual

I tend to hover on the more introverted side of the personality spectrum, which unfortunately means I hold back in my writing as well. Xochi is the opposite. Since I've started working with her I've found a new boldness that has gone beyond writing and bled into other aspects of my life as well. It was because of her encouragement that I started looking into the Mount Hermon Christian Writer's Conference last winter (and thanks to my sister, I was able to attend this past spring). With a little tough love from Xochi (and many others) I stepped out of my comfort zone and pitched my book to both an editor and an agent while I was there. 

Later, when I didn't think I had it in me to sit at my desk every day to finish the aforementioned book re-write and proposal for the editor and agent, Xochi was there with little care packages, lots of encouraging words, and when needed, some brutally honest ones as well. I'm still waiting to hear back on my proposals, but Xochi has been keeping me motivated to continue working on new projects (and hold onto my sanity) in the meantime.

What does your writing support group look like? And if you haven't found one yet, what prevents you from reaching out to someone? 

Breaking free of the solitary mentality

It's easy to forget as writers that we do not undertake this journey on our own.

The first blog piece I ever wrote was the result of a lengthy correspondence with a writer friend about a malady I dubbed Writer's Isolation. It's a malaise that targets even the most productive writer and its symptoms include: frustration, despair, and a sense of overwhelming loneliness even in the midst of our greatest times of creativity. Two years later I find this continues to be one of the most common plagues affecting the writers I am in contact with, including me.

The writer's life is not a sentence to solitary confinement...

Anyone who has been writing for any length of time can attest that ours is largely a solitary pursuit. We tuck ourselves away in our “offices,” turn on our favorite playlist, and ultimately cut ourselves off from this world in order to cross over to another. Even though we start out with the noblest of intensions, these journeys never come without a price. Writing requires focus, dedication, passion, and a dream that cannot fully be understood by those who aren’t writers. While family and friends may offer a tremendous amount of support, they have a hard time relating to the stress that results from spending long hours alone at the keyboard.

This is why it is vital for writers to connect with other writers. Whether it's through online support, a local critique group, or becoming a member of a larger writing organization, we need to be in frequent communication with other writers about more than how many words we've written or cups of coffee we've poured in one writing session. We need individuals with whom we can be honest, and with whom we feel safe discussing our highest and lowest moments in life.

...Each of us has a role to play within a larger community!

I met many of my writing companions during my time as a member of the Christian Writers Guild and I have many more who are a part of Inspire Christian Writers and other writing organizations. Add in the friends I've made at various conferences around the country, and the community of writers I've joined through Twitter and Facebook, and I have absolutely no excuse not to reach out when I'm struggling. Chances are we rarely, if ever, meet in person, but just knowing we’re on similar journeys goes a long way in forming a bond akin to those of firefighters, soldiers, and police officers. We need to remember we're in the trenches together. We're a part of a unique community who can specifically encourage each other, brainstorm, congratulate accomplishments, swap stories about our real lives, and, as a result, be reminded of why we chose this path in the first place: To inspire others and ourselves.

This also means that we need to be careful in our interactions with each other. It doesn't matter if we're offering a bit of advice, giving a critique, or just chatting for the sake of chatting, our goal should always be to build up and encourage, never to cut down or discourage. Published or not, we're all part of the same team.

No matter what our vocation or location, we were never meant to undertake life’s journey on our own. I think Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says it best, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls alone and has no one to help him up.”

When in doubt, remember: You are never alone.

If you find yourself struggling with Writer’s Isolation, don’t drop your pen in despair. Seek out a fellow traveler who can help you through whatever sludge is dragging your feet down. But most importantly, remember the greatest promise of all: “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

What to do when the blank screen gets the best of you

Every novel, article, or non-fiction book starts the same way. As a writer with an idea in their heads, staring at either a blank computer screen or piece of paper, and every time we want to write something new we are faced with that same blank screen. Sometimes the words flow, sometimes they don’t. So what do you do when the blank screen staring back at you gets the best of you?

I’ve heard a lot of different things about what to do to get the creative juices, and words, flowing when you’re stuck. Here are some of my favorites:

Edit: I really like this one because I love to edit. Before I start writing something new each day I go back an edit what I wrote yesterday. This gets me into my story again, reminds me what was going on when I left off, and what I’m hoping is coming next. It’s a good way to reconnect with my characters and get inside their heads again before I try to take them somewhere new.

Pray: Don’t just pray in your head though. Write or type out your prayer. Just let the words come as you think them. “Lord I don’t know where to start today” is a great place to begin. Tell God about your struggles; pour them onto the page. By the time you’re finished you may find your story comes to you.

Read: I write fiction so when I get stuck sometimes I turn to one of my favorite novels. I’m not really looking for ideas, I’m just trying to get my mind off of anything that is distracting me and step into a fictional world. By reading for twenty or so minutes I can relax and get into the right frame of mind to be creative instead of worrying about the kids, the bills, and everything else on my plate.

Skip the scene: A good friend of mine suggested this and I have found this is the one that works best for me. When I come up against a scene that just won’t come to me I skip it and I write one of the scenes that comes later in my novel. One that I have just had burning in my head for a while, one that I know how I want it to look. Once I get that one out of my head I can usually go back to the scene I was stuck on and bang that one out as well.

Do some more research: Sometimes I have a scene in my head that just isn’t ringing true. If I am really stuck I will go back and look at pictures of my settings, check my notes on my characters, even go online and double check some of my facts to make sure I have everything right. This helps me to get the scene straight and will usually help the words to flow.

Find an accountability partner: Having someone to challenge me with word counts and actually being checked on to see if I have accomplished those word counts helps to get me moving when I am stuck and just want to zone out of Facebook.

Most of the time one of these technique will get me moving on something I am stuck on. Sometimes I have to do more than one, such as edit and research, or read and pray. The key is not to get discouraged. Find one or a combination that works for you.

I had the pleasure of meeting Heather at a writing conference a few years back. The thing that strikes me the most about Heather is her wit and her dedication to balancing her writing and her family without making undue sacrifices that would result in the neglect of one or the other, all while striving to bring honor to her Lord. -Jen

Heather Kreke is an avid reader and hopes to inspire teens to seek God’s will for their lives through her writing. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and two young daughters.