It’s often been said that writing is a solitary occupation. Franz Kafka opined as much when he wrote: “Writing is utter solitude, the descent into the cold abyss of oneself.” And my personal approach to writing is very private. I have rarely let others read my unfinished work.
The only person who regularly reads my work-in-progress is my trusty in-house editor, and sometime collaborator, my husband. I have never been one for writing groups. But these days it is next to impossible to completely avoid that kind of inter-author engagement given the plethora of social media and perhaps even the necessity for developing what has become that annoying phrase: the writer’s platform.
All of this begs a couple of questions for me: Do writers need other writers? And if they do, what do they need them for?
I’m working on a piece of writing that could use just such answers. In an effort to open my mind to others’ perspectives, I’m hoping that as many writers as I can “engage” with will answer these questions.
If you have an answer, please leave a comment or answer my poll.
Patricia J. Parsons 