Today’s post is an ode to internet strangers who become writer friends.
Waaaay back in November 2015, I was ankle deep in my first NaNoWriMo. I’d started with no idea what to expect. I had no plot, no plan, and was simply attempting NaNo to see if I was capable of writing 50,000 words in a month. Then the story began to create itself and I was hooked. Writing a novel fit an empty spot in my heart that I didn’t realize was there until I filled it. The only thing I didn’t love was that I had to do it alone.
Hi. My name is Emily and I am an extrovert.
An extreme extrovert, if that’s a thing. I love people. I talk a lot (not “too much” because that’s not a thing) and I light up at parties and social events, even when surrounded by strangers (I KNOW, right!? I can *feel* some of you cringing in horror. I’m sorry!)
The answer to my problem… was twitter.
I know, I know. Twitter is the source of, what, 50% of the world’s evils? Something like that? 65%?
But I’m giving credit where credit is due. Through twitter I discovered a world of writers. All struggling through the same challenges, planted in front of their laptops alone… but not alone. In the year and a half since I ventured onto twitter I’ve found Critique Partners, beta readers, and writer friends with whom to vent when this task seems insurmountable. (Like that use of whom? That was for my English teacher/editor mom. Hi, mom!)
I’ve swapped first chapters, query letters, and even full manuscripts with incredibly talented people I may never meet in real life. PitchWars threw the doors open even wider and I now get 15+ Facebook notifications a day from the PitchWars 2017 Mentees board. We talk each other out of panic attacks, cheer each other’s victories (“You wrote three chapters today! Wheeee!”) and send virtual hugs when someone feels like their book is a pile of steaming leftovers.
Internet strangers-turned-writer-friends have enriched my life enormously. They’ve made me a better writer, and a much happier writer, too, so cheers to internet writer friends!
Whether or not I ever meet them, I plan to FLIP OUT in Barnes and Noble someday when I see their books on display, and you can be certain that when I turn to strangers perusing the Best Seller table, I won’t calmly say, “I’ve exchanged GIFs on twitter with this author!” but instead shriek, “Read THIS book! The author is my FRIEND!!!”
*My apologies in advance to the innocent bookstore bystanders unlucky enough to be present when I lose all self control and run laps around the store clutching an armful of new releases.
Happy almost NaNoWriMo! Let’s get those laptops ready and make more writer friends. 🙂
