PhotobucketRecently, on a writers’ board I frequent, someone posed the question, “Just how important is it to have other writer friends?” The question, in this day and age when so many of us are trapped behind our computers with little to no personal interaction with others, was a good one. And I was surprised at some of the answers. It seems that, like everything in this business, what is one person’s lifejacket is another person’s dead weight.

For me, having other writer friends has proven invaluable. Literally. I can’t quantify how much I’ve benefited from them, and hopefully, how much they’ve prospered thanks to my friendship. My writer friends fed my brain and boosted pitches when I was just starting out on the query wagon, cheered me on through my first novel sale, and now, I’m fortunate enough to have a few friends who are part of an intimate professional circle: we swap notes on our publishers, bemoan some of the behind-the-scenes intricacies and share contact information, if say, one of them knows another author who would be a perfect blurber. One of my writer friends is a few steps ahead of me in the publication process – her second novel is hitting shelves in a few months – so she happily passes down lessons learned and obstacles and advice, knowing that I’m up at the plate in October. And I try to pay it forward in the same way: another good friend just debuted (to much fanfare) her book, and I’ve tried to impart my wisdom to her as she tiptoes her way through the process.

Quite frankly, I’m certain that much of my success has been due to the people I’ve surrounded myself with. I really can’t say that strongly enough. If, for example, I hadn’t joined Freelance Success eons back, I wouldn’t have learned countless, countless tips from fellow writers, and I’d be desperately bored and lonely in office all day. (Which can’t be discounted! Isolation can send you running back to your day job in a heartbeat.)

One comment that really nabbed my interest on the aforementioned forum was that “as certain writers achieve success, they have less and less use for that board and/or forum,” and well, to a certain extent, I think this is true. As your career takes you to different place, it’s inevitable that you’ll outgrow (and be too busy) for tools and resources that you needed in your previous years. This happens in every industry, not just ours. I’m drifting from magazine writing these days, so my input onto the main Freelance Success boards has dwindled. But that doesn’t mean that I’ve lost sight (or touch) with the friends that I’ve made there. I still join in on the American Idol discussion and whenever someone poses a parenting question, I try to relay my own experience. Being a writer is so much more than just writing. Tucking yourself into a hole each day can (and will) make you miserable. So to answer the original question posed on my writers’ board: is it important to have writer friends? I say, “hell yeah.” For the blurbs, the contacts, the advice, the wisdom and the shared experience. But even more so, because these people are there in the trenches with you, and if you’re looking for an outstretched hand to hold as you muddle your way through, you’ll inevitably find one.

So tell me, how important is it for you and your career to have other writer friends?

Allison Winn Scotch
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