Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Writing Coach: Get Support

Writing is a solitary pursuit. Only you can put the words on the page. But that doesn't mean that you have to be isolated one hundred percent of the time. I'm going to offer a little writing coaching to hopefully convince you how important it is to have a support system in place to help see your goals to fruition.

Having a writing community gives you the opportunity to bounce ideas around, get your work critiqued and encourage you when you feel like giving up or when you've just received your nth rejection slip. Support is also good to have when things are going great; when you've sold your first or tenth article, when you finish your book, or whatever your particular goal might be.

There are many communities listed online that offer support. I met Terah online in a Yahoo Groups forum and our communication has kept me inspired along the way. You can start by joining the Traveler's Pen forum. To meet people in person, visit www.meetup.com and check out the different writing groups. MeetUp.com puts people with similar interests in touch with each other all over the world.

If you need more support and encouragement with editing and submitting your work or dealing with writer's block, Google 'writing coach', and see what you find. There are trained coaches out there that can support you in starting or sustaining your writing career.

Remember, writers don't live on an island (well some lucky ones do). Get support in place and get the encouragement you need to get published!

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