Play Nice and Share

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Us writing types tend to be a bit introverted. The nature of the beast is a lot of alone time and a lot of us like that just fine, thank-you-very-much. When we are producing our work, this is good. Insulation is good. But what about those times when you are not busily rewriting your article? Do you interact with other writers? More importantly, do you share what you have learned?

There is not a writing assignment that goes through my fingers that doesn’t contain a lesson of one kind or another. I’m learning all of the time. I figure out a grammar rule or I learn a method that saves me editing time or I gain a character development tidbit. I would bet that for most of you, the same thing applies. It’s a learning process always.

When the light goes on, the last thing I want is to hoard it away into some secret writing cave. I can’t hardly wait to share what I’ve learned. Now for me, it is fairly easy to do this since I write for different writing blogs. I learn something and all of a sudden I have a blog post. I’m one sharing fool.

For those that may not have a blogging outlet (and why don’t you?), there are plenty of ways to share the things that you learn in your writing life. There are many writing forums online. Too many to list, really. Do you belong to any of these? If not, do some research and find one that seems like your kind of community. Sign up and start posting new threads. Most often you will find that folks are appreciative of what you have to say. You may also find that their experiences will enhance what it is that you have learned.

Another great sharing outlet is a writer‘s group. Depending on the kind of writing you are in to, chances are there are writing groups that would love to have an additional member. This is especially true if you have the goal of sharing your writing experiences in a manner that is helpful and positive. It’s important in these areas to keep your head about you and not try to dominate or come across as too preachy. Temper your sharing and pace things appropriately.

There can be some great advantages to sharing what you learn. First, sharing gives you a sense of accomplishment. You feel like you are contributing to the welfare of others and the overall health of the writing community at large. As well, when you share your experiences, you start to develop a reputation and as your reputation grows, you will make connections with folks. Sometimes these connections can lead to work, sometimes they can lead to life-long friendships that transcend initial intentions.

It’s also possible that as you relate your experiences, your understanding of them grows and you end up getting more from the experiences than you had originally thought.

Finally, sharing your writing experiences teaches you to be tolerant of other writer’s views. Invariably, sharing experiences will generate discussions in which writers will have differing opinions. These discussions are opportunities for you to grow as a writer, if you choose to view them that way.

Don’t be afraid to leave your shell from time to time and share with the world all of the lessons that are learning throughout your writing day.