Since I've been struggling with the plot for my SPE and bits and pieces are showing up here and there, I decided to turn my attention to a blog post. I talked to a friend over the week briefly about support, granted it was in a completely different context than writing, but support is always needed.
Without support as a writer you can flounder, get lost, and well give up. It has taken me years to surround myself with a proper support system, there used to be people around me who would claim, "Sure, I'll help you out." then disappear. When I say support, I'm not talking about money or even a tone of time. Here are some examples on how to support someone while writing, these come from my life.
Spouse: Ask how it's going, bring me a cup of coffee/tea while I'm writing, handle the child for a little bit, or find a way to give me some time alone to write. (My husband doesn't read any of the genres I write, therefore reading is not on the list.)
Friend: Ask how it's going, offer to read and give feed back, don't disappear when you offer, or just read. If your writer friends are published, buy the book/story/novella, that is support.
Writer friend: Ask how it's going, (see a theme here?) offer to write together, if you're in the same town go somewhere to write, swap stories, offer feed back with everything, or bounce ideas off each other.
Family: Ask how it's going, give them space and time, bring them coffe/tea/beverage of choice, or encourage them with something.
As an author, support yourself, celebrate your success, no matter how small. Try not to give into your ruts, your doubts and your fears. Hard, I know and the support of other people is important as well. I don't know where I'd be without the support I've had, but either way...keep your head up and keep going. Some times you have to seek out your own support not wait until it comes to you.
