Do you have someone
off whom you can bounce your writing ideas? Even better, someone who
feels free to bounce their ideas off you?
The value of such a relationship struck
me this weekend as Wayne and Cristie came for the weekend. They live
two hours away, with a metropolitan area in between, so months often
pass between when we see each other. When we do, we try to make up
for lost time.
This Saturday as we drove to an event,
Wayne asked me about his latest book idea. He didn't detail the
approach, so I imagined a different slant and responded accordingly.
Turns out he likes some aspects of what I suggested and will begin
his research accordingly.
That evening he asked if I'd speak at
the next meeting of a group to which we belong. The topic he named
was nowhere near what I was going to ask about teaching—but a much
better fit.
But the process wasn't finished. I
named three aspects I thought I should cover. He reigned me in and
suggested I focus on the one facet he thought would most interest the
group. Again he was right.
We didn't limit our conversations to
writing. We shared our experiences with our adult children, discussed
their upcoming trip to Israel, and traded tips on gardening and
couponing (mostly Carol and Cristie did that). And we browsed used
book stores and pointed out finds to one another.
At the end of the weekend we all came
away with treasures we otherwise would have overlooked.
3 comments:
Of course, not everyone can be a sounding board. Many wonderful people (even people who read widely) don't have an imagination that can consider various facets of a raw idea. However, I am fortunate enough to have one writer friend close enough that we can occasionally do lunch at a China buffet and discuss our projects. More than once, he has made suggestions that I've adopted for my current manuscript.
Treasures- that is what you have Andy :-)And what every writer needs.
My crit partners are gold!
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