I would like to address a topic that is very near and dear
to my heart.
Writing Buddies.
Or Buddy, in my case, but that’s not a guideline or
anything.
Margaret’s written a post about this topic before (on a
different blog) and that will be added in its entirety at the end as well as
heavily quoted.
Guys I am going to say one thing that is the main focus and
goal of this post:
If you don’t have a writing buddy, you need one.
Writers are by nature rather solitary people. We usually
like hanging out with a particular small group of people we’re very familiar
with and sticking with them for long periods of time. Or just not really
associating with humans, which I wouldn’t suggest because looking from a
completely professional view it’s best to associate with the subjects you’re
going to be writing about. It’s important to study people.
But I Don’t Need/Want
a Writer Buddy
I understand if you don’t want to go out and try to find a
writing buddy (from here on out to be called WB). It could get awkward and you
can’t just walk up to someone and say “Hi! Do you like to write stories and
would be okay with listening to me ramble about mine and my ideas for hours on
end?”.
But you will need them. I quote my ABSOLUTELY AMAZING WB:
“Part of the reason writer’s write is that we want to share our imaginary worlds with the
‘real’ world.
Or at least, that’s part of the reason I write.
And when sitting all the lonesome,
staring balefully at your computer, more often than not – you lose sight of
that.”
I really wish it weren't true. And maybe it won’t be for
you. Maybe that’s not why you want to write or maybe that’s not where you have
a problem. But for the majority of us, after working 50 hours on a project over
a three week period, you start to lose sight of where it’s going, why you’re
writing it, why you want to write it, what the purpose is…
If you have a WB and they’re good, they will be able to
encourage you, keep you going. But if that’s not your problem they should also
be there to listen to you talk about ideas. I consider myself a pretty good WB.
I am not joking when I say I've probably listened to WELL over 100 hours of
Margaret going on and on and on and on and on about her characters, her world,
her plot…
Well over 100. If not well over 200. If not 300.
Let me clear the air right here and now. Probably the part
that actually makes me a good WB is that I don’t mind. I really don’t. I love
hearing about her characters and her concepts. It’s gotten to the point where I
know her characters almost as well as she does. I DREAM about her characters
for crying out loud. Today in PE I ran the mile imagining that one of them was
chasing behind me with a sword after I stole her coffee (word of advice: don't steal her coffe). I
could almost literally write her next book for her (though I don’t think she’d
want me to- I might end up pairing her two main characters together XP)
I love hearing about her story and writing.
Once again, I would like to repeat that, more for her than
for you guys.
I ENJOY HEARING ABOUT THEM. SO STOP APOLOGIZING. IF I WAS
REALLY ANNOYED, I WOULD TELL YOU OR CHANGE THE SUBJECT.
She never stops apologizing. To the point where she should
apologize for apologizing so much.
Any who…
You have to find someone who can take sitting down and
listening to you ramble on, because trust me, you need to ramble. You need
someone to help fill in the plot holes over the dead bodies. You need someone
to help you figure out “How the @#^&*& is Character A supposed to get
from here to there if she lost her wings?”
What Do I Need to
Look For in a WB?
Good question.
It really just depends on you. They have to be someone you
can work with on a daily basis. I’m not saying you have to work with them on a
daily basis, but it has to be someone you could.
My suggestion is to find someone you could easily be a friend with.
My WB is my best friend.
I’m hers. (I think…)
To the point where we’re claiming to be sisters on this
blog.
I’m not saying you have to be best friends with your WB. We
were just very fortunate that it worked out that way. But you should 100% be
friends.
I can’t tell you what you like in a friend. That’s something
you should know for yourself (I hope you do… If you don’t that kinda means you
have no friends…). If they’re not a person you can get along with, you probably
shouldn’t be working with them.
They should be able to listen (as mentioned before) and as
the term WRITING buddy implies, they should be just as if not more motivated
towards writing and becoming an author as you are. You want them there to push
you forward. You want them to be able to help you at as if they were coming at
the problem their own manuscripts. You should pass writing back and forth, lean
on each other.
And you have to, I repeat HAVE TO be able to TRUST them.
That’s not going to come quickly and you’re probably going to have to spend a
few months getting to that point. Margaret and I have been friends for three
years now. We trust each other a lot.
You do not want someone who you can’t trust because if you
can’t trust them to not share your manuscript with ANYONE, then you can’t trust
them enough to send it to them, and the entire point of having the WB is
ruined. Trust is imperative. And since I’m fairly sure we’re all young writers
here, it’s a good idea to gain the trust of their parents too. I didn't get to
read her first book for WEEKS after she finished it cause her mom didn't want
me to steal the idea. So make sure the parents know that you can be trusted.
Trust is important.
How Do I Find a WB
Another good question… I actually can’t really answer that
very well to be honest. We're such a rare case that I don’t know
how most people go about finding one. *wince* Sorry about that. For a little vague
back story:
We met on an obscure little website for Artemis Fowl Fan Fiction.
She had been writing there for a few months already and I was brand new. I will
freely admit it. I worshiped every word she WROTE. She says she didn’t think of
me as a puppy dog and was more flattered than annoyed, but I’m pretty sure that
she says that to spare my feelings. I was pretty puppy-ish.
And it was in the puppy-dogish worship that I followed her and
a couple of the other authors to another website geared for something unrelated
to Artemis Fowl, but related to the website. Wish I could tell you more but I
can’t really. But I will say that it was mostly RPing and she was pretty much
the only person who took me seriously. Which only made me like her more.
Sometimes after the drama (And boy was it DRAMA. Serious. Like… crazy stuff.
Every night. But beside the point again) we would have conversations.
Fun conversations. Where poles started attacking people and
legendary Pokémon would come out the sky and lend us a hand in our chainsaw
vanquishing.
If you think I’m joking, I’m not.
We make jokes about it to this day.
And then we started talking over email and stopped communicating
for a bit. Then about a year and a half ago she sent me a message about another
RPish thing she had created and I felt very very happy she had thought to
include me in that. So I joined in. We started talking in and out of it. Then
we both got a Skype and she started talking to me about her ideas… (which she
actually wasn’t supposed to do) and… here we are.
Best friends.
I have no idea what your experience will be like. Hopefully
it will be just as fun. Maybe it won’t be. Cassandra Clare wrote about it in
her “Writer’s Advice” column.
She says:
“It can often be easier to find a critique group online than
in real life. Some of the most famous include Critters and The Online Writing
Workshop for Science Fiction and Fantasy. You can also search through yahoo
groups or Goggle groups for writing groups devoted to your specialization. In
real life, try looking at message boards in libraries, taking classes at
community colleges or universities, or putting out flyers yourself to meet
other writers.”
I say take her advice.
Like I said… probably not the best person to ask on how to
find/get one. I would say that everyone’s story is going to be unique. You’re
likely going to find your WB completely differently from anyone except your WB.
And it can be a group. In fact I would suggest a group. More opinions.
Summary
YOU NEED A WRITING BUDDY. OR MULTIPLE IF YOU CAN GET THEM.
THEY SHOULD BE FRIENDS YOU WOULD WANT TO HANG OUT WITH
NORMALLY
BE THE WB YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE (not explicitly said, but
it was subtext)
YOU HAVE TO TRUST THEM
THE VINSHIRE SISTERS HAVE AN ODD AND WEIRD PAST AND ARE NOT
TO BE SOUGHT FOR ADVICE ON HOW TO FIND A WB
And I’m just going to give a little shout out to two of the
biggest famous WBs that I know of
Cassandra Clare (Writer of the Mortal Instruments/Infernal
Devices- if you don’t know them READ THEM) is best friends with Holly Black
(writer of Farie Tales- only really made it through the first two; the last
made me want to throw it against the wall…) Black introduced Clare to her agent
and kick-started her career which has hit best seller lists, sold millions of
copies, and is working on a movie.
And then we have perhaps THE most famous example:
C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien.
If you don’t know who either of those are, you need to go
hide under a rock and stop pretending you ever had a childhood.
They were best friends who both taught at the same college
and had tea every Wednesday.
WB’s are very important. They can influence you in ways that
you cannot even imagine.
You need one.
Get one.
Margaret's Old Post:
Subtitle: It is a truth universally
acknowledged that a lonesome writer must be in want of a writing buddy.
Well, it should be
universally acknowledged. Part of the reason writer’s write is that we want to share our imaginary worlds with the
‘real’ world.
Or at least, that’s part of the reason I write.
And when sitting
all the lonesome, staring balefully at your computer, more often than not – you
loose sight of that.
Magnificent prose leaves your fingers,
however unneeded that prose might be – and as your stroke your manuscript
hissing “Precious” and find that while you know you should cut
things – every single word is ever so lovely and- and that’s when – without writing buddy – you can find
yourself in a harrowing situation.
They also make a
fantastic cheering team – while I don’t use my writing buddy so much for
editing and helping me cut – I do use her as my babble-to person, someone who
listens to me as I bounce ideas off of her.
It’s
magnificently helpful!
Look – there is
about five billion and one reasons for one to choose and find a writing buddy.
There’s this
fantastic story I found once – A writer was talking to a brain surgeon, and
after informing the surgeon that she wrote books, the surgeon responded, “Oh
how nice! I was thinking of writing a book myself when I retire!” and the
writer responded, “Really! Isn’t that the oddest thing – I was thinking of
being a brain surgeon when I retire myself!”
Writing a book
isn’t easy.
But it’s easier
if you have someone who can coax and help you and listen to hours and hours and
hours of ideas as you babble endlessly into her ear so badly she keels over,
sobbing. And you have to attend her funeral after she accidentally kills herself
banging her head on the wall to escape.
…Not that any of
that ever happened to me! Of course not! Why doth you ask such a thing?
~Amanda Vinshire (with input from Margaret)
