Do You Need a Buddy?

I’ve often wondered this about the writing world. I’ve read some of my favorite bloggers discussing how they commiserate with some writing friends about the issues we tackle and face everyday in the freelancing world. I even received some literature that suggested that a writing buddy (for lack of a better term) can be helpful to staying on track.

Much like an exercise buddy or friend, a writing buddy helps motivate you when you just don’t feel like writing. They are there to push you along, bounce ideas off of, and help you through the plateaus.

I used to think that having a writing buddy was a silly idea. I mean, why would I need someone to boost me or otherwise push me along? It was after I stopped going to the gym regularly because I had no one with me (though I tried to get friends to go, they just didn’t see the point or had an excuse) that it dawned on me that my friends reasons for their anti-health movement, was EXACTLY why I needed a buddy.  Getting a buddy happened by accident for me and you can have more than one at a time (it’s perfectly ok and PC to have more than one).

You probably won’t even realize it much in the beginning who your buddy is. But if you check in with them regularly, always have helpful advice, or can even lend an ear (or a screen if they are miles and miles away) when client woes pop up or projects stump you, then in all likelihood, you have a writing buddy (I feel a little like Jeff Foxworthy here, minus the redneck inclinations)… and if the laptop is on the other lap, they will do it for you.

Having someone to motivate you and applaud you in your writing endeavors is different than networking or having friend or family member be there for you.

Networking isn’t as intimate. Yes, you can bounce ideas off of people who you network with and find leads through them but the setting in which you do this is probably more business-like and can feel stuffy at times. It can be a close second but you will have many different viewpoints and opinions if it’s a large network and your projects points may get lost in the translation.

Your best friend from college or grade school or even your mom is always going to love your work, and even if they don’t love your work, they won’t be as quick to tell you about it out of fear of upsetting you. Plus, they may not be able to pick out your mistakes or fully understand the point you are trying to make. In some cases, they may take your work personally and get offended – take it from me, I’ve been in that boat, many many times.

Someone who you partner with for motivation and writing support is likely to understand you and your work. They are likely to get the tone of your writing and see your personality in it. They can tell when your writing is off and they can tell you it’s off without fear of upsetting you because they have created a relationship with you built on the love of the written word. More so, they tend to understand when you are stuck and what doesn’t flow right. They can understand problems with clients, projects and everything else you encounter in the writing world because they experience it too.

I’m not suggesting that you stop networking or don’t let your Aunt Sally read your latest work in progress, but I do think that if you don’t have someone who can really get into your writing head and pull out your motivations and your writing demons and make you face them, that you consider it.