Thursday, August 28, 2014

They Get Me! Why my Writer Friends are Important



Dorothy Parker had the Algonquin Roundtable. The fictional character Richard Castle has his famous poker buddies. Just like those two iconic literary figures I have a close circle of writer friends that I consider my pals and confidants. Occasionally if our schedules allow we even get to hang out together in person. A few of them have been with me since the infancy of my career. They’ve known me since long before I became a published author. They’ve been with me through my thin and thick waistline, have weathered countless rejections and celebrated my first and subsequent sales. They know my family and I consider them my extended family. We are roommates at conferences and co-presenters at workshops. These same women also give me the kick in the pants I need when a writing slump hits or when I received that one particularly painful rejection and dramatically sob how I can’t go on. They are my cheerleaders.

And don’t we all need a cheerleader every now and again?

Writing is one of the most solitary careers out there. Days can go by when I swear I don’t speak to anyone other than my characters. It’s wonderful to know that when I turn on my laptop and head out to the internet that through any social media outlet I can connect with another writer. But nothing beats seeing them in person. Some of my friends I only get to see once or twice a year while attending conferences and writing retreats.  A handful of others I’m lucky enough to enjoy a cup of tea or a three hour lunch with.

Though I don’t have a name as auspicious as the Algonquin Roundtable for my circle of writing friends, I still depend on them to keep me sane. But more importantly I appreciate and love them for sticking with me all these years and I look forward to many more years of friendship and support. I want each and every one of them to know how much I cherish them. Oh and maybe I’ll start calling them Tracey’s Team! Just kidding…


An Amazon Top Ten bestselling historical romance author, Tracey sold her first book on 9/9/99! Tracey’s books have been translated into several languages. She has appeared on the award winning Cox Cable Television show, Page One and at the famous Lady Jane’s Salon in NYC. She holds membership in Romance Writers of America, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Novelists Inc. Tracey also writes women’s fiction contemporary romance.  You can learn more about Tracey and her books by visiting her websites at www.traceylyons.com or www.traceysorel.com.
 


13 comments:

  1. You nailed it, Tracey. Writers are a team. A tribe. We're family.

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  2. You're right, Tracey. I love my writer friend-cheerleaders and don't know what I'd do without them.

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  3. Absolutely true.
    Only our writer friends know we have as many people in our head talking to us as did Sybil.

    Our writer friends understand when we go off on a triad that has nothing to do with the present conversation because two or more of those head-people finally figured out what to do next in our latest book.

    Our writer friends enjoy our victories whether they be as small as selling 10 books or as large as making the Kindle top 100 - which BTW I have not yet done.

    Our writer friends hand us the tissues - whether they be Kleenex or virtual tissues - when we get a rejection and we know that is always a viable option even though we are published.

    Our writer friends wil be us through writers block, suggest better phrasing, help us untangle a convoluted plot, and let us know when we are head-hopping through POV.

    What WOULD we do wihtou them?

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  4. Hey! Thanks for leaving your comments! I could have waxed poetically for much longer than this post...it's hard to condense years of treasured friendships into a few short paragraphs!

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  5. How true! Our writer friends convince us we're not going mad, encourage us, celebrate and commiserate with us. They're as necessary as wine, coffee, and chocolate!

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  6. Goooooo, Tracey (waving pom-poms, lol)!

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    1. you have always been one of my loudest cheerleaders!! Backatcha!

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  7. Only other writers "get" us and know what we're going through, no matter how supportive other friends and family are.

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  8. My local support group is the LWDC or "Ladies Who Drink Coffee". Okay, maybe not as impressive as the Algonquin Roundtable, but they are an impressive group of writers that I'm very pleased to call friends. Yes, you need a tribe for this solitary endeavour. :)

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  9. I don't have a name for my group either. Most of my supportive friends are already in chapters of RWA but my longest standing group are from the Rotary in Caerfyrddin and HRC in San Cler. I call them my cheerleaders. Thank you, Tracey, for reminding me of my debt to them!

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  10. Hi Tracey--
    You are so right about that special support we get from our writer friends. And who else but another writer understands our need for office supplies--pens, journals, post-its :-)
    Victoria--

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