Last week we mentioned lack of support and lack of feedback as possible roadblocks. These two things are such a deal-breaker (the "deal" being that you will stick with your writing until you see some results) that they're worth investigating in more depth.

Your Support Team

Your support team might actually be two teams - one at home and one made up of writing colleagues. If you get support on two fronts, you have the very best chance of making real progress with your writing. However, some writers live alone, or have a completely non-supportive family/spouse. For these writers, it's even more important to have support from other writers.

Do you have to have a support team? Not at all. You might be quite happy to sit and write for several hours a day (or a week), without contact with others, knowing that you're steadily piling up the pages and getting closer to finishing your book. You might be adept at finding articles on technique and plotting online, or have an extensive library of writers' "how to" books.

It is true that not everyone needs the support of others. However, most writers do. They're the ones to whom this week's advice is directed.

Let's take a look at what "support" actually means.

The Kind of Support That Gives You Time to Write

If you work outside the home, you need to carve out some time to write in the hours that are left. If you are a busy caregiver to small children or someone who is aged, infirm or handicapped, you will not have a lot of hours to spare, either.

What you need - at the most basic level - is cooperation. You need family members who respect your need to have a few hours to yourself, in order to write.

I do not use the word "respect" lightly. If your writing is treated with respect, then your family will do more than just leave you alone for a chunk of time so you can write. They will actively make it easier for you to write - by taking over chores that usually fall to you, or babysitting younger children, or volunteering to shop for groceries. They will do these things with a smile, rather than grudgingly.

True support means that you are not made to feel that others are bearing a burden that should fall to you - it means that you can disappear for a few hours with a light heart, knowing that others love and respect you enough to make this possible.

What if your family resents the time you take to write? What if they don't make it easy? What if, instead of helping you, they seize any excuse to interrupt you or prevent you from having time to yourself?

This is a tough one. Nobody can really advise you on how to handle unco-operative family members, because there's so much emotional baggage tied up with this sort of thing. If it's a real problem and you're at the end of your tether, it's probably worth seeking some counselling. All I can say is this: You DO deserve to have some time of your own. Everything is made more difficult if you are a single parent and you need to give time and attention to very young children. In this case, probably the only thing you can do is go to bed later or get up earlier, to seize a quiet hour or two.

When your children are older, you will be able to negotiate your private time, but young children just don't understand. If you can, arrange to swap babysitting with another parent, so you can both have time to yourself.

Emotional Support

Sometimes you'll find that your family is very good about giving you time, but they are at a bit of a loss when it comes to emotional support. When you hit the wall with your plot, or you get a rejection, or you are wrung out from trying to make deadlines, you need someone who will listen. Someone who truly understands.

If you're lucky, you'll get this sort of support from your family or friends. If they just don't 'get it', then you need to look elsewhere - and that's usually somewhere where writers hang out.

Support From Other Writers

Who understands what it's like to have a plot work in theory but not on the page?

Another writer.

Who understands what it's like to work for four hours on a scene, then read it the next day and realise it's total garbage?

Another writer.

Who understands the agony of getting a 'thanks but no thanks' letter in the mail after you had really, really got your hopes up?

Yep - another writer.

It's enormously uplifting to form a close relationship with another writer or group of writers. You can do this by looking around online for writers' forums and discussion lists, and then narrowing down the field of other writers who seem to be on the same wavelength as you. You can gradually start emailing these other writers privately, and then form a critique group amongst yourselves. Usually a smaller group works best - two, three or four writers.

You can work with more than this if you don't all regularly swap work for critiquing - if you mostly need emotional support, then you can regularly email a larger group.

Most writers, however, find that a small support group suits their needs best.

If you live close to a writers' centre, or you know of a local group that meets regularly, you can try out a face-to-face group too. Many close friendships have been forged at regular meetings of a writers' group.

Feedback

If you're a writer with advanced skills that has technique pretty well nailed down, you may not want or need feedback. Having said that, I'll have to point out that it's a rare writer that doesn't need at least one objective set of eyes cast over his or her work before sending it off to a publisher. It's all too easy to miss 'obvious' typos, clunky technique, wordy sentences or 'flat' sections of writing. You're just too close to your own work to pick up on all these things.

You may have a friend or family member who can give clear, useful feedback on your writing. If so, you're very lucky - because you know what? Most of the time, friends and family aren't too good at giving you the kind of feedback you need. Sure, they can say things like 'I found that chapter a bit slow' or 'I don't really like this character' but when it comes to explaining to you why these things didn't work - they can't do it in a way that is really useful to you. Another writer would know how to explain to you why it's not working.

Make an effort to find three people to proofread your scenes, chapters or your finished manuscript. I recommend the following:

1. Another writer (writing at your level or above) Ð this person can give you feedback in a 'writer's language'.

2. Someone who regularly reads in the genre in which you're writing (they know if you're creating cliched characters or situations; they know what's hot; they know the popular writers in the field - they can talk in the language of the readership you're aiming for)

3. Someone who is strong in spelling, punctuation and grammar - they'll pick up any bloopers or errors in structure.

Professional (Paid) Feedback

Is it a good idea to get professional feedback? Yes, if you're sure that the person you're paying knows what he or she is talking about. You can certainly save yourself hours of wasted effort - and get really valuable feedback -if you pay a fee and get concise, usable advice that will help you to improve your writing. It can be worth every cent.

On the other hand, there are people who set themselves up to give advice to writers simply because they've got a degree in fine arts or in English literature. This can be an absolute disaster if the person critiquing your work knows nothing about the commercial realities of selling fiction. Being able to critique 19th Century literature might bear little or no relation to being able to critique a contemporary romance novel, for example.

Before you part with your money, ask for testimonials from satisfied clients. If possible, email them and ask any questions you want about the kind of feedback given. It's better to spend time upfront on making sure that you're getting what you want, than to spend money and then realise that it's been wasted.

Where can you find a good critique service or novel assessment service? The best place to start is probably the writing centre in your state Ð phone and ask if they have a list of these services. You can also try finding a critique service online. BUT - be careful that you don't fall victim to any scams.

How can you be sure?

Try typing 'writers scams' into a search engine and see what comes up. This will give you a good idea of what to avoid.

Also refer to my article on writer's scams. There are likely to be a few new ones since then - but this will help you to avoid the worst. You'll find it in Book 5 of the Tipsheet Library - if you haven't yet downloaded this (it's in PDF format) you can get it here: http://www.writing4success.com/tipsheet_archive.htm

How to Find a Writers' Group

The easiest way to find a writers' group is to search online. This will help you to find groups that meet locally face-to-face as well as online groups.

Just start by typing in writers groups into Google (or whichever search engine you use). When I did this, the results flashed up in seconds - and I was looking at the first 10 results of 28,000,000! Many of the results on the first page were links to writers' centres. These will be able to help you find a group, if you're having trouble. All in all, if you can't use the Internet to find your way - via the Internet - to a writers group that will suit you, then I'd be surprised. If you don't have a computer of your own, book time on one at the library or at a community centre.

Rewards

Now we come to the fun part!

You MUST build in rewards. Writing can be really hard slog Ð and although you can force yourself to sit down and write for an hour or more each day, you can't keep tricking yourself into thinking that it's fun. Not ALL the time!

So - design a nifty little system of rewards. (Is this going to be fun or what!!!) You need to think of short-term and long-term rewards. (Yes, yes, I know that just getting published will be the biggest reward you could possibly have - that's obvious! What we're talking about here are other rewards along the way.)

Here are a few suggestions

Short-term Rewards (at the end of a week, or when you finish a scene, etc)

• Meet a friend for coffee

• Buy a new book for your writer's library

• Go to a movie with a friend

• Give yourself an afternoon off just to shop, read, go indoor climbing, etc - any activity that spells 'FUN'!

Mid-Term Rewards (at the end of several months, or after you've written 25% of your novel, or to celebrate the first 3 meetings of your writers' group, etc)

• Buy a new printer/boost the power of your internet connection

• Buy a new outfit

• Book a weekend away - by yourself, with a friend, or with your partner

• Take time off for a few days at a health spa

• Take out a subscription to a favourite magazine

• Sign up with a gym and/or personal trainer

• Have a massage

• Allot some time for that long-desired hobby - and perhaps book a workshop or lesson (e.g. ballroom dancing, scrapbooking, quilting, woodworking, basic car maintenance, photography)

Long-Term Rewards (Novel completed or half-way mark reached, contract offered, major research completed [sometimes this can take many months!], major critique sought then feedback acted upon, etc)

• Treat yourself to a new laptop computer or high-speed internet connection

• Book a major holiday

• Fit out a new office or study just for your writing

• Build in an 'office in a cupboard' - line a wall with shelves and a desk, then fit folding doors to shut off the area when you're not working

• Have a mini-makeover - new haircut, new outfit(s), new glasses or laser eye surgery, plus anything else that may appeal to reflect the new you!

• Give yourself a month off to simply rest, recharge the batteries, go to movies, read, visit friends, etc - a holiday at home!

These are just a few examples. Naturally, everyone's budget for rewards will be different. Your choice of rewards is not important - what is important is that you understand the value of doing this. I definitely don't want to hear: 'Oh, just finishing my novel would be a reward in itself!'

Bah humbug! Of COURSE finishing a novel is a rewarding thing to do. You can feel very proud of yourself for an achievement like this. But who amongst us doesn't like presents? Who doesn't enjoy a treat or a holiday? If someone else gave it to you, you'd be thrilled - so GIVE IT TO YOURSELF.

When you set your goals for your new turbo-boosted writing program, you MUST build in rewards. Never underestimate the motivating power of a treat that you're really, really looking forward to.

Oh - and I don't need to say: "Make sure you come through with that reward!" do I? If you have to sacrifice something else, then do it - but make sure you deliver on your promises to yourself!

Your goal for Week 4:

Acknowledge the importance of support, feedback and rewards. Work on setting up your support team at home and in the world of writing, and decide how you will get feedback on your work. Have fun devising a system of short-term, mid-term and long-term rewards to keep you going when times get tough.

Next week: Improving your style and technique