Getting By with Lots of Help from Friends!

Friends are integral to my writing.

They provided stories–which I sometimes steal.

They encourage me, too.

I couldn’t enjoy the writing life without them.

Editor friends

I like the collaboration with editors who learn my story well. Arguments about plot ideas and words invigorates and often makes me laugh.

But my editor will not be the first person to read the manuscript.

I get through the writing life with a little help from my friends. No woman is an island and we need each other.

Cliches aside, writers need people to help them present their best work to editors.

Here’s an overview of how, why and who helped me with writing “An Inconvenient Gamble” for The Texas Brides Collection.

The obvious: computer tools.

I always feel triumphant if I don’t have any grammar errors.  Computer tools underline your errors without comment–very helpful.

Thank you, Grammarly and Microsoft Word spell and grammar check!

A significant other who listens and offers ideas at your request.

The first and closest reader of An Inconvenient Gamble was my personal patron of the arts, Robert.

He sat next to me at his own computer as I wrote and he listened cheerfully–always laughing at the right spots.

Listening to my problems, he helped with the occasional plot points

He also took me out to dinner several times.

Experts in your story’s subject matter.

My niece, a veterinarian, answered detailed questions about livestock.

An Inconvenient Gamble takes place on a horse farm and I needed details about the delivery of a foal.

Maura not only sent me an entire page of  “ways horses can get sick and die,” but she also corrected a major mistake.

“No one in their right mind breeds a horse to give birth in November. That would be the last month anyone would use.”

Bummer. That event needed to take place in November. “How about a cow?”

“Cows can be born year round. That would work.”

Thanks, Maura.

A practitioner of your lead character’s passion.

Mandi has a degree in English from Sonoma State University.

She loves to read, and posts photos of her horse all the time.

I asked her to correct any horsemanship errors.

Here’s what she said about one:

“‘Carried away, she urged Caesar on and when they reached the paddock fence, he jumped it in effortless flight.’

“I love this sentence, but it needs altering.

“Any rider knows one of the top rules is to never run a horse home/to the barn.

For one things, you should be cooling the horse down.

But the main reason for this rule is because it teaches the horse bad habits.”

I changed the story line. Thanks, Mandi.

A friend who can read your story without a bias (or who won’t overlook yours).

I sent an early draft of the story to a friend who doesn’t like the genre.

A former English teacher, she could catch any major writing errors and comment on the story’s logic.

To my surprise, dog owner Linda wanted to know why I was always so mean to the dog.

What?

I went back and read through all the references to the “no-good traitor” dog.

Sal was lazy. She didn’t like to drag herself off the porch.

She didn’t protect the heroine, and never came when called.

I’d meant to be ironic, but I could see Linda’s point. I rewrote sections so that Sal the dog improved over the course of the story and was a good farm dog by the end.

Talk about needing a character arc!

Thanks, Linda!

Readers in your target audience/age group.

Other readers includedCarolyn who thought the plot went “really fast.”

Kim enjoyed the references to Morgan’s Men and thought they added depth to the story.

Leah who described it as “cute;” and Rachel who just loved it.

The affirmation helped. Thanks, ladies!

Praying friends.

Some writers have a group of people who pray for them as they write their books. That’s  a wonderful gift to give– Rachel prayed for me as I wrote.

Sitting at the computer for long hours to write the story is a solitary pursuit, but we need friends to point out our errors, make us rethink our plot, challenge us on tone, and cheer us on.

How have your friends helped you?

Did I miss anybody?  🙂