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.

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:

MBA Writing Tips - BusinessWeek

Is the writing on the wall for Ricky Hatton? - EastsideBoxing.com

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1i-0fd=Rurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/7692142.stmcid=1270478891ei=FhgkScWbD5nU9QTm67jCAQusg=AFQjCNE0zknbk3UrokoxyvP5RnakTmfIcQimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=hYM080Z9B7oJimgurl=newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45219000/jpg/_45219389_malignaggi282gi.jpg width=64 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2BBC Sport/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-0fd=Rurl=http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php%3Fp%3D17917%26more%3D1cid=1270478891ei=FhgkScWbD5nU9QTm67jCAQusg=AFQjCNGPwkrpqzkAPol594SOIT8fvAZkLwIs the bwriting/b on the wall for Ricky Hatton?/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fEastsideBoxing.comnbsp;-/font nobr3 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Alex McMillan: This Saturday night Ricky Hatton squares off against Paulie Malignaggi in what should be a terrific clash of styles. Or will it? b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-1fd=Rurl=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,13303_4519941,00.htmlcid=1270478891ei=FhgkScWbD5nU9QTm67jCAQusg=AFQjCNFIWJeWcSoumyj3aW9AVAr6trwlLQHitman hails the Hatton army/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrSkySports/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-2fd=Rurl=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxingandmma/3478431/Ricky-Hatton-a-better-fighter-under-new-trainer-Floyd-Mayweather-Snr-Boxing.htmlcid=1270478891ei=FhgkScWbD5nU9QTm67jCAQusg=AFQjCNFpZYc5qSzpY6SWPuJLIsXfAwtZCwRicky Hatton #39;a better fighter#39; under new trainer Floyd Mayweather Snr/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrTelegraph.co.uk/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-3fd=Rurl=http://www.buzzle.com/articles/236594.htmlcid=1270478891ei=FhgkScWbD5nU9QTm67jCAQusg=AFQjCNHd90WfGydS4_sXKbrH3xH_YcwLPwFit and Focused Hatton Bids for Las Vegas Redemption Against b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrBuzzle/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-4fd=Rurl=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/boxing/s/1080544_quigg_beware_the_magic_mancid=1270478891ei=FhgkScWbD5nU9QTm67jCAQusg=AFQjCNE4okCivcjOPOgzQ6LSuKhWM86p1AnobrManchester Evening News/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-5fd=Rurl=http://www.tourdates.co.uk/news/12872-Oasis-to-carry-Hattons-belts-into-the-ringcid=1270478891ei=FhgkScWbD5nU9QTm67jCAQusg=AFQjCNEr-Z77OWF_h3UyGXcUO3CTnfbfZgnobrTourDates.Co.Uk/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1270478891hl=ennobrall 233 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Bend outdoor reporter dies at age 50 - KPIC

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-0fd=Rurl=http://www.kpic.com/news/local/34721054.htmlcid=1272116944ei=FhgkScWbD5nU9QTm67jCAQusg=AFQjCNEaflSdH-3uNRckqPAsYuCX75BLbABend outdoor reporter dies at age 50/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fKPIC,nbsp;ORnbsp;-/font nobr9 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1After several years reporting about the environment, he moved to bwriting/b exclusively about the Oregon outdoors. Witty took readers along on outings to b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/2-1fd=Rurl=http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20081118/NEWS0107/811180394/1001cid=1272116944ei=FhgkScWbD5nU9QTm67jCAQusg=AFQjCNFRjR6h5jcYzw_DIG6EufqfXN_0SwHiking, bwriting/b, music – Witty just loved it all/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrBend Bulletin (registration)/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1272116944hl=ennobrall 5 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Bon Jovi writing new songs for hits set - Reuters Canada

Good writing vs. talented writing - Christian Science Monitor

Tech seniors still writing their ending - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Latest #39;Heroes#39; Ep Has Bad Writing, Predictable Plot Points - Starpulse.com

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b69350_heroes_redux_who_sylars_baby_mama.htmlcid=1271828040ei=FhgkScWbD5nU9QTm67jCAQusg=AFQjCNEL6TY3CNttEr5xY587paKV4z0ZwAimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=0Ebr-WgKtaIJimgurl=images.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/20081117/425.Heroes.Foster.Petrelli.Quinto.Bell.Shields.Larter.Hector.lc.111708.jpg width=80 height=59 alt= border=1brfont size=-2E! Online/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-0fd=Rurl=http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2008/11/18/latest_heroes_ep_has_bad_writing_predictcid=1271828040ei=FhgkScWbD5nU9QTm67jCAQusg=AFQjCNGSYnEVM65rGg7v78dr0U6BJ_PF4ALatest #39;Heroes#39; Ep Has Bad bWriting/b, Predictable Plot Points/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fStarpulse.com,nbsp;CTnbsp;-/font nobr19 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1What a load of bad bwriting/b. This obscure reference only makes sense when the camera drops back to remind you of the severed African man#39;s head and then b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-1fd=Rurl=http://www.ifmagazine.com/review.asp%3Farticle%3D2911cid=1271828040ei=FhgkScWbD5nU9QTm67jCAQusg=AFQjCNG3jd8bUV1d_AzRfr7nALmg7R1B3ATV Review: HEROES - SEASON 3 - CHAPTER 9 - #39;It#39;s Coming#39;/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobriFMagazine/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-2fd=Rurl=http://www.buddytv.com/articles/heroes/heroes_aftergasm_one_hiro_down-24600.aspxcid=1271828040ei=FhgkScWbD5nU9QTm67jCAQusg=AFQjCNHQWvbRRd5akcUST4vzq86AjzH2Aw#39;Heroes#39; Aftergasm: One Hiro Down/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrBuddyTV/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1271828040hl=ennobrall 17 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Flournoy School students are right online in writing - Corning Observer

Home gt; Comics gt; News gt; Movies gt; News gt; Anime/Manga gt; News gt; Mark ... - Mania

CabinWindow: Letter writing Technology presents problem - Log Cabin Democrat

Writing - Google News

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