Be A Writer With Friends

As a writer, it's easy to get sucked into the mundane world of dirty sweatpants, stale coffee and cold pizza. I mean, who really needs to see us while we're writing, right?

While that may work for a time, pretty soon we become hermits, hoarding our words, shunning the light and developing a Smeagol-like complexion. Gross.

photo credit: JD Hancock via photopin cc

You're Not Alone

It easy to lose ourselves in writing. I did. It was so easy. I had my daily routine and the only people I saw outside of my imaginary characters were my wife and kids. Lame-O.

Doing that only works for the short-term. As humans we need human interaction. We crave it even thought we might not know it.

Do you feel alone, like the world's caving in? Maybe it's time to step out and make a new friend.

Be A Writer Who Makes Writer Friends

You may live a busy life juggling a full-time job and your part-time writing.

You may be a full-time Writer-Dad like me.

You may not be the most outgoing person of your generation.

It's okay. You know why? There are others who share your passion, who get it when you say that you've lost your muse or can't remember whether to use a comma or semi-colon.

And who would those people be?

Writers.

Be A Writer Who Peeks Out And Says Hi

There are plenty of writers open to new friendships. It just takes making a little effort to reach out and say hello.

Luckily we've got technology on our side. The vast majority of even the most reclusive writers have email, social media accounts and websites.

Find like-minded writers who you admire and send them an email or submit a message through their Contact Me page. They won't all respond, but that's cool. Don't take it personally.

Need help with your opening? Here's a few you could use:

– Thank you for the badass novel.

– Wow! Your work is amazing.

– You are awesome. How did you do it?

– Hello.

It's Fun. I Promise.

I've had the good fortune to interact with all kinds of amazing writers, mostly via the intrawebs. The handful who come to mind includes Joe Bunting, Jeff Goins, Steven Konkoly and Sean Platt.

In fact, later this month I'm meeting Robert J. Crane for a beer or three, and it all started because I REALLY like what's he's doing with indie publishing and decided to say thanks for a killer blog post he wrote for fellow indie writers.

My friends have helped me with everything from revamping my platform to becoming a contributor on The Write Practice. I would not be where I am now as a writer had I not stepped out of my cave.

Finally, what do all these relationships have in common? Me, and the fact that they're all nice dudes who want the best for fellow writers.

Yes, nice writers do exist 🙂

So make it your goal this month to reach out to at least one writer you admire and say hi, or thanks or Yo. You never know where it might lead.

How would your world change if you had more writer friends?