A Writers Personal Cheer Squad


We all need a cheer squad.

We all need people to say 'Good on you!'; 'Way to go!'; 'You've done a great job'; 'You're really on the way.'

We need people to say 'Don't worry, this is just a temporary setback'; or 'Of course you can do it' when we encounter obstacles. (Hey, you think nothing of putting plenty of hurdles in your character's way-why should you get through unscathed?)

Writers tend to get depressed and give up when nobody appears to care whether they write or whether they don't. Sure, it's really up to us if we feel that urge to create-in one way, we shouldn't have to rely on the support or approval of others. But let's get real. Most of us do care. We feel so much more inspired to go on if there's someone who believes in us; someone to urge us to take the next step.

Most of us are lucky in that we have supportive families or partners. They might groan at the idea of extra responsibilities - or seeing less of us because we're hiding away tapping at a keyboard - but they know how much it means to us. They rejoice in our successes. They commiserate when a rejection arrives or when life gets in the way and we can't write for weeks (or months). It makes a difference to have someone who's in your corner.

Unfortunately, not everyone has a 'cheer squad' like this. What if your family couldn't care less if you never wrote another word? What if they resent the time you spend writing, and create obstacles rather than help you overcome them?

First, you have to decide to claim that time for yourself-even if you have to leave the house to do it. Find a corner where you can write undisturbed. (More than one writer has penned a novel over long-lasting cups of coffee in a restaurant.)

But the most important thing is to get yourself that cheer squad.

Find someone who does care about you and your writing.

Someone who will buoy you up when times are bad.

Someone who will break open the champagne when you succeed.

It could be a friend... it could be the owner of the coffee lounge... it could be someone from a writer's group you join or establish. There's someone out there who cares.

Make it your mission to find that person.

(c) Copyright Marg McAlister

Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com/

MORE RESOURCES:
RELATED ARTICLES
The One-Plot Wonder
Back in the mid to late 1980s I was a security guard. The pay was lousy, but it gave me many hours in seclusion to write short stories and novels.
How to Come Up with Fresh Story Ideas
How to Come Up with Fresh Story Ideas When Your Well has Been Tapped DryWhen I face the desolate impossibility of writing 500 pages, a sick sense of failure falls on me, and I know I can never do it. Then gradually, I write one page and then another.
Writing Is Not Life-threatening
Some writers complain that writing is arduous work requiring long hours and little pay, which is often true especially for freelance fiction writers. Today, everyone wants to be a writer and with word processors and computers it is easy to put thoughts down, but it is not always effortless to be published unless one self-publishes or uses a vanity press.
Do You Plot With Your Character In Mind?
Creative Writing Tips -You are plotting the story. You write down what will happen, what problems will arise, what obstacles you will place so the character won't reach his goals immediately, what he's going to do to overcome these problems etc?So all these things will be happening to your character since it's his story we are telling.
How To Write Cover Letters That Work
Sometimes there is confusion about the exact meaning of the term "cover letter".That's because when most people use that term, they don't realize that there are two main types of cover letters.
Graphology - Unleash Inner Personality & Talent of Child
|| Graphology & Graphotherapy ||Everybody wants to know more about peoples inner personality, Especially peoples with whom you are dealing and peoples whom you like, dislike, adore & love.Now haven't you ever thought of just knowing a person inside out and there should be a method for this also? Here is the science which can make you read a person like book.
Pairs/Groups Of Words Often Confused - Part 4 of 6
LATER, LATTERLater means afterwards; latter is the second of two things."Later that day we went for a walk.
Top Ten Writing Mistakes Made By New Childrens Writers
Okay. So I'm not David Letterman.
You Dont Need Inspiration!
Or do you?Writers write. You shouldn't wait around for inspiration to come.
Why I Write Horror
These are some of the snapshots I carry with me: My father coming up to visit me after first being diagnosed with leukemia. The visit was a surprise, and he brought a new computer with him.
Writing for Local Veterinary Hospitals
Freelance writer STANLEY BURKHARDT has a passion for animals. He loves animals so much, he crafted himself a new career.
How to Write Headlines for How-to Articles
Want to write a how-to article but can't come up with a topic?Start by naming the three biggest problems your customers or clients face. You've just come up with three ideas for three different articles.
Overcoming Writers Block
Do you suffer from writer's block? Is there a pending project you are putting off because you lack the inspiration to even get it started? You certainly are not alone. At various times you will go through extended periods of energetic writing as well as lengthy dry spells.
Write a Letter, Make a Difference
Today I took the dog for a walk and realized that there is a letter that I must write. Near our house, we walk up a once paved road that is now mostly rock and mud.
How to Have an Effective Reading Group
Writing leads to reading. Therefore, it's only fair to supply my readers with sufficient information on creating an effective reading group, since the last article was based on writing groups.
How to Write a Holiday Tale that Isn't a Turkey
When we write stories, with the purpose of sharing them with others, we enter into an agreement where we allow our reader to see a glimpse of our heart, our souls and our memories. If we truly want them to be immersed in the tale, we actively immerse ourselves in those memories so that a glimmer of what we saw, heard and felt comes through.
Aesop, Abraham Lincoln, and You
May I tell you about a writing technique shared by Aesop and Abe Lincoln?Let's look first at Aesop's timeless tale about the tortoise and the hare. It's the one that ends "slow and sure wins the race.
10 Best Writers Who Ever Lived
Compiling a list of the history's ten best writers is like skating on a heated swimming pool. Just when you get started, you find yourself in hot water.
Platform Development Tip #1: Switch Writing Hats!
Around eighty percent of nonfiction books today are written by "experts," that is people who have a) earned credentials in the field they're writing about, b) germinated information via articles, live presentations or other media, or c) had extraordinary, unique or memorably told life experiences relevant to their topic.For an autobiographical work, such as a memoir, an author needn't have any special expertise-she is the foremost authority on her own life.
Essay Types and Modes Youll Need to Write for College
~TYPES~You Want Us to Write What? Understanding the Task AssignedWhich academic essay writing types we use depends upon which disciplines (or classes) we write for. Each instructor or professor will assign papers that invite us to reveal in writing what we have learned/what we think about the material for that particular class:* ANALYTIC-A classic style used in art, science, history, psychology, education, and most other disciplines across the curriculum to explore and investigate an idea, process, person, action, or attitude.