Life-blood

I was discussing plot ideas the other day with Nick for the current novel I'm working on, and as he shot a few of my ideas down I realized that I was starting to feel on the defensive. In truth, he was just showing me plot holes that would have made my story truly worthless, but it felt like he was attacking my writing personally.

It was then that I realized that a writer's writing is personal. I'm sure this is really obvious to more seasoned writers, but it just struck me. I know that with every story I write and with every character I create, I leave pieces of me behind. The character that plays with her earrings while she's thinking - that's me. The character that struggles with his feelings on religion and God - that's me. The story, the characters, they all become a part of me, and when someone criticizes anything about my writing, it is a personal blow.

Of course, this isn't healthy, as by ipso facto, a writer's life consists of critiques and rejections, some harsher than most. Nathan Bransford, a Literary Agent, addressed this issue (kind of) in one of his blog entries: Writing as an Identity . My favorite statement of his, and one that really hit home for me, was: "The moment the writing or the publishing process becomes the defining part of someone's identity, when it becomes oxygen, that's a time when the writer is risking having that oxygen choked off by forces completely outside of their control."

Every writer identifies with their writing, however, if their writing becomes, as Nathan described, their "defining characteristic," they are sucked dry of the very essentials they need to be a successful and effective writer.

The remedy for my situation, then, is to join a local writer's club of sorts, where I will be routinely presented with critiques of my writing. This will not only help me hone my story-telling abilities, but it will also help to thicken my skin for the publishing world.

My next problem: choosing a local writer's club to join!