In my last post, I talked about isolation as one of the four challenges we face as writers.  Hopefully I’ve convinced you that even introverted writer-types need the occasional human contact for our well-being—especially contact with other writers.

And no, four legged furry friends don’t count!

But how do you find writerly humans to contact? Step #1 is to step outside your comfort zone and start looking. Here are some possible places to connect:

SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) offers a myriad of resources for connecting writers.

• Local conferences and other events offer opportunities for you to meet other writers living in your area
• National conferences are a great place to meet like-minded writers and form your own online critique group

Classes: check out your local Continuing Education program for a writing class that interests you. In addition to learning something, you’ll get to know other local writers—this is a great place to recruit critique group members.

Online Resources such as news groups, listserves, blogs, and Twitter provide a spot for writers to touch base with one another. You’re not necessarily going to manage full-length conversations via blog comments or Twitter chat, but it’s a great place to connect for encouragement, accountability, and reality checks. Here are a few of my favorites:

• For accountability and encouragement:
  • Inkygirl’s daily word count challenge
  • Book in a Week: challenge runs the first week of the month—set your own goal and keep motivated with daily check-ins and writing prompts
  • National Novel Writing Month: provides word counter and plenty of daily encouragement during November
• For industry and craft discussions:
  • The “Blue Board” – Verla Kay’s message board for Children’s Writers and Illustrators
  • Children’s Book Insider’s message boards (aka the famous “Yellow Board”; you must be a member/CBI subscriber to use this feature)
  • Children’s Writing listserve: on Yahoo groups; must sign up with Yahoo (free) and join group to participate (also free, but prevents SPAM)
  • NFforKids listserve: also on Yahoo groups, discussion group for all topics related to nonfiction writing for children

Isolation is another one of those big challenges we face as writers. Let’s face it: most of us work alone, avoid the telephone, and spend more time with our favorite pens than our favorite people. With a large number of introverts in the writing community, many of us cultivate alone time. We thrive on it.

But.

Even the most introverted of us all still needs occasional contact with other people—especially with other writers. Other writers can provide us with:

• Support and encouragement: Every now and then, everyone needs to hear that they’re doing a good job. And no, your cat can’t actually provide the needed reassurance.
• Normalization: things don’t look so bad when you realize you’re not the only one receiving six rejections for the same book on the same day…from the same publisher. It happens to everyone.
• Networking: there’s a reason people network. Friends and colleagues help us to connect with future writing partners, business associates, and editors. It’s not about using people (which is why I disliked the term networking for a long time); networking is about helping people make beneficial connections.
• Shop Talk: Whether you’re looking for someone to vent with about the current state of the publishing industry or a critique partner or someone who knows a bit more about social media than you do—talking shop is a great way to hone your ideas and knowledge, and collect info from colleagues.
• Accountability/Motivation: There’s nothing like a writing buddy to help you make that word count goal, finish revising that project, or send out the novel you want to protect from the big, bad world. Accountability partners come in all styles, from Boot-Camp Billie to Sweets and Sympathy Sylvia. Find someone and team up with them!

People need other people—in small doses, perhaps, but even introverted writer-types need to rub elbows with others traveling the same road.

Maybe you know that—and don’t know where to go from there. More on tackling isolation in my next post….

Cheryl