On one hand, I should be breathing easy. My alter ego recently turned in the manuscript of her next book — not the first draft, and not the final final one that will appear between covers, but a very important one. She’s at the stage called Delivery and Acceptance, where you turn in your manuscript and your editor says, “Yep, we’re gonna publish this.” (And in most cases it triggers a payment from the publisher. Cha-ching! Well, mini-ching, anyway.)
On the other hand: now I have to get busy doing all the things I wasn’t doing while I was pushing through the final revisions for that book. And a shocking number of those things have to do with other people’s writing.
Writing is a mad, solitary, frustrating business, and I’ve often said that having other writers on your side makes it worthwhile. Which it does. But friendship isn’t all other writers have to offer. Maybe you have some who cheer from the sidelines for you, and you cheer from the sidelines for them, but in many cases our obligation to each other goes well beyond that. We’re not cheering from the sidelines. We’re jumping up and joining in.
Several of my writer friends read and critiqued an entire novel for me this fall, on my timeline. That is a HUGE commitment. You can say (or email) thanks over and over and over again, but the only thing that really balances the scales is to make an equal commitment. So to writers who’ve given my work thoughtful critique, I owe them the same, and I need to do it on their deadlines. Their deadlines should be almost as important to me as my own. (I’m not saying I’m flawless on this, but it is and should always be the goal.)
I have other people’s short stories and novels-in-progress to critique. I have soon-to-be-published novels to read, some to blurb if I like them, and some just to enjoy and decide how to advocate for them on social media when they come out. I have author interviews to conduct (which in most cases means reading more books), and a list of agents I recommend to make for a friend who’s about to start querying, and… you get the picture.
Is this a lot, on top of my own writing? Yes! It really, really is! But that’s the choice I’ve made.
Participation in the writing community means different things to different people. For some it’s online camaraderie. For some it’s a formal critique group. Some prefer not to participate more than necessary, saving their energy for their own pursuits. Apparently I’ve decided to go whole hog. And yes, it can be exhausting, but here’s the thing: I get out of it what I put in. Not in a tit-for-tat, scratch-my-back way, but in the broader sense. I put my energy into being a part of the writing community. And the writing community is giving that energy back to me in ways I directly benefit from.
Q: How much of your energy goes into the writing community? In what ways?
About Jael McHenry
Jael McHenry is the debut author of The Kitchen Daughter (Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books, April 12, 2011). Her work has appeared in publications such as the North American Review, Indiana Review, and the Graduate Review at American University, where she earned her MFA in Creative Writing. You can read more about Jael and her book at jaelmchenry.com or follow her on Twitter at @jaelmchenry.
You are so right, Jael. And the active members of the WU community truly support one another in so many ways. I have served as a beta reader and I know others willing to reciprocate. We must make a commitment to be there when needed. It elevates all of us. Thanks for this post.
You’re so right about the mutual benefit, Jael. I’ve found I benefit from giving critique alone (without even counting the receiving part). The more involved I am, and the more I extend a hand to help, the better writer I become.
Thanks for the reminder. Have a great week. Wishing you the best with your project!
For me, being involved in a writing community is part of being a writer. WUB and WFWA provide me with ideas and can spark creativity that helps me work through a story problem. Tomorrow I will be on the phone with a writer who I hope I can help after reading some of her work. Balance, however, is key.
I’ve made life-long close friendships with fellow writers. With or without books, writing, the turmoils of a WIP, agents, publishers, these friends will hold my hand for years to come. We’ll share our lives and work and be there during times of need. I can’t imagine a better prize in this biz.
Hugs to all.
Dee Willson
Author of A Keeper’s Truth and GOT (Gift of Travel)
I could not do without my writing buddies, and I hope I am helpful to them: two long-standing groups and one newer group for face-to-face exchanges, and WU discovered only a couple of years ago. Writing happens alone, but we as writers can be as gregarious as we like. We benefit personally, and our writing is enhanced.
I live in a somewhat strange dual world when it comes to my writing: As a German native speaker, my WIP is in German of course. But the online writing community I connect with is all English speaking, as are the writing craft books I am reading. Even my writing buddy is English speaking – and I translate parts of my draft for her (that works well for discussing story and characters, but of course we cannot discuss “voice” or sentences … but as I am still in my first draft, that is ok). Part of it comes from living an expat life, I guess. I know that I probably should go and find myself a German speaking community too, but for one reason or the other I keep postponing this. And there is so much to be found at WU and other cool sites that I don’t really feel the urge. Mmmm….
Thanks for this reminder, Jael. Like others, I depend on my writing buddies, not just critique groups and beta readers, but also fellow travelers. Some portion of my time goes to repaying them in kind, while another chunk goes to supporting the larger community of readers and writers.
I volunteer with local writing organisations, occasionally help schedule and promote author events at local libraries and bookstores, and host free discussion groups and book clubs. Sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t take much time, just a little here and there.
I benefit, too, of course. For example, hearing how readers respond to a particular aspect of a work helps me better understand my audience. Most of all, I love seeing the community grow and strengthen.