Find a Buddy to Make the Journey More Enjoyable

Since we were young we were always assigned a "buddy" to do things with.  In elementary school, there was the field trip buddy.  In middle and high school there were science lab buddies.  College brought study buddies and groups.  In Corporate America today, very few people don't work as part of the "team."  You should find Writing Buddies as well.

The thing about a Writing Buddy is that you have to seek them out yourself, rather than it being assigned by a teacher or facilitated by the corporate culture.  You are looking for buddies who are interested in writing similar stories and accomplishing some of the same things as yourself.  You are also going to look for those buddies to provide you with honest feedback about your work so that you can prepare it for it's ultimate destination.  You'll want to be prepared to do the same.

So how is a buddy different than a close friend or family member that supports your writing?  I think there are two things that make buddies different.  First of all, a buddy should be able to give you honest criticism of your work, to make it better.  The other thing that makes this different is that your buddy has experienced or may be experiencing the same challenges that you currently face with your writing projects.  Although your brother, sister, or cousin may support your writing wholeheartedly, and may criticize your work, unless they are also writers, they can't always provide you the support you need when you're having a down day.  This is where a good buddy can empathize with what you are going through and help you get back to the place where you are moving forward and being productive.

If you're just beginning where do you find buddies?  The first place I would begin is a local writers group.  You can find writer's groups through the public library, bookstores, even writers groups associated with colleges and universities.  You can also do a web search for "writing groups in [insert your city}" and see what comes up.  Some groups charge a fee for your participation, others do not.  I highly encourage you to participate in whatever group fits your schedule and your budget.

Another place I've found writing buddies is on Facebook. After "Liking" some of the writing business pages, you'll find others who share similar interests.  Go ahead and offer them a Friend Request and interact though Facebook.  My current writing buddy is from Spokane, Washington and she found me because we were mutual friends of a new author we had both "friended."

No matter what you're trying to accomplish in life, buddies help make the journey more rewarding.  A good buddy will be there to share your triumphs, give you honest feedback when needed, and pick you up when things aren't going your way.  And don't forget, to have a good buddy  you need to be a good buddy.