3 Reasons to Learn How to Share (Your Writing)

I slogged through composing an article, retyping the same sentence six or seven times. The sentence was too short, too wordy, too awkward, too something. I deleted the string of witless words.

Nothing.

It was time to escalate so I shot an email to a writing buddy and attached the offending sentence along with a plea for help. In minutes, she replied with the suggestions of moving one word and adding punctuation after another.

The problem that I had stared down for way too long, she had solved in seconds.

In this unique realm where we subsist as writers, critique partners are our lifelines. The benefits of sharing our work with like-minded souls are boundless, including improving our basic skills, developing a sense of community, and dealing with doubts and insecurities.

Do you ever feel bogged down in a writing project? These are my three favorite reasons to reach out to other writers:

1. Accountability
Writers tend to live a life of isolation. We can stay secluded for days and even weeks at a time. The downside of this is the tendency to drift toward laziness and procrastination in our work. Knowing that someone will be asking about our progress can give us just the push we need to keep going.

2. Fresh Insight/Perspective
We can read our work a dozen times and not see the problems that a critique partner will see on a first perusal. Feedback is crucial to our growth and development as a writer. We learn exponentially under honest review and evaluation. My favorite phrase to hear is, “Is this what you meant to say…?”

3. Inspiration
Brainstorming with fellow writers can be a little touch of heaven on earth. Article and book ideas have been conceived from a group of writers laughing, sharing and challenging each other to dig deeper and reach higher. In a recent conference workshop, I deliberately began an article with over-the-top silliness. My critique group proceeded to surprise me by saying, “Keep it in!” They gave me the courage to jump in and experience something fresh and new in my writing.

Who keeps you accountable and fans the flames of creativity in your writing-life? If no one comes to mind, make it a point to seek out like-minded friends and colleagues. Do a google-search of writer’s groups in your area or contact a respected conference website for recommendations (brmcwc.org and word-weavers.com are good examples).

You may be the inspiration that someone else is seeking.

Photo art by Hilary Brooke Hall ©2015
Used by permission