Hang out with your tribe

Registering for the World Science Fiction Convention yesterday reminded me of how important it is for us writers to hang out with writing friends.

Writing is a solitary occupation, and much misunderstood.  After all, everyone has a book in them, right?  What non-writers don't realise is the sheer amount of effort needed to get that book out of us and onto  the page.

It usually takes me between four and six months to produce the first draft of a new novel.  But how do I know if it's any good?  I take it to my writing tribe, read it out and ask them.

I'm blessed that I'm part of Pentangle Press.  Fellow authors Carol Westron and Chris Hammacott are good critics, and will soon tell me if something is wrong with my story.  But they also tell me when something is right, and that feedback is just as valuable.

Writers need to hang out with other writers because they're the people who know just how much it hurts when your latest submission has been rejected. J.R.R. Tolkien said "I have put up my heart to be shot at" when he sent off The Lord of the Rings to his publisher.  It's like that for every writer.  Our precious creations are being turned into products, the latest project on the publisher's timetable.

Writers need other writers to reassure them that they and their work are okay after a particularly bruising encounter with the publishing world.  We need our tribe to tell us that yes, we can write, and yes, our stuff is good.  So go find your writing tribe and hang out with them.