Peer support

About once a month, I meet up with a writer friend to talk about our works-in-progess.

Carly and I met at a short story workshop run by the Quebec Writer’s Federation. She is younger than me but has already published a number of pieces, both fiction and CNF (creative non-fiction). She just completed her MFA and is now working on a full second draft of her novel.

In short, we have a lot in common.

Every few weeks, Carly and I get together at a cafe to talk shop. Over coffee, we commiserate about the difficulties of the writing life and cheer each other on when one of us feels daunted or overwhelmed. We talk about technical issues like narrative structure and point of view, and we share news of local writing events. We celebrate each other’s achievements and hold each other accountable for the goals we set.

Writing a novel is a long, laborious, lonely venture. I have lots of support from family and friends, but I am lucky to have found a colleague and friend who really gets it, who is wrestling with all the same challenges and pursuing the same dreams as me.

We got together today, and as always, it was both cathartic and encouraging. Every time we meet it boosts my spirits and gets me through the next few weeks of solitary writing work. Thanks, Carly!