Buddy up.
That's today's tip. You can interpret it anyway that makes sense to you but here are some ways I've enriched my writing life by buddying up:
- Meet a writing pal at a coffee shop and write simultaneously. This meet-up is not for critique purposes but to bask in shared creative energy. The one time I participated in NaNoWriMo, this was a trick I used many times to reach my daily word count goal.
- Buddy checks via email: My partner-in-crime, Mary Nethery, and I do this fairly often. One of us will email the other at the start of the work day, spelling out our own goals for the day, and asking about the other's. Even though Mary's thousands of miles away, just knowing she's at her computer at the same time I am inspires me to keep at it.
- Buddy brainstorming: a phone or in-person date where you and your buddy brainstorm about each other's works in progress. When I feel boxed in my a story plot, this is a huge help to me.
- Blog buddies: There are certain blogs I read for writing inspiration and ideas. I consider these bloggers my buddies even though we've never met!
Great ideas, Kirby! I have a writing buddy I exchange written goals with at the beginning of every week. I champion her successes and she mine, and I find myself more motivated to get "to-do's" checked off my list as I know the deadline for the new weekly goal exchange/past report is approaching.
ReplyDeleteI guess I could call my first readers buddies. Lunches keep us sane. Going over manuscripts together, keeps us moving forward. :)
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