According to a friend of mine, every writer does better at her endeavors if she has people who play four key roles in her life. These roles are Mentor, Cheerleader, Critiquer, and Motivator. Let's take a brief look at these roles:
Mentor - this person gives the writer tools so she can do a better job at writing.
Cheerleader - this person buoys up the writer, telling her she can do it.
Critiquer - this person's role is to keep the writer sharp and examining her work for errors. The Critiquer also gives suggestions for improvement.
Motivator - this person gets the writer past hurdles that come along, such as writer's block, keeping the writer moving and motivated. May be the best at being a sounding board or brainstorming partner.
Sometimes a person may act in more than one role, but usually four people shake out into the roles.
What do you think? Do you agree that these roles are essential to your writing success? Who fills these roles for you? Do you fill one or more of these roles in some other author's life?
This post was first shared with readers on July 29, 2007
I've had different people fill these roles at different times. I know that I wouldn't have continued writing if not for the cheerleaders, motivators, and mentors. The critiquers play a unique role. The help my writing be better, but sometimes I use their words to create roadblocks to my writing. Eventually I get beyond it and their suggestions always help me be a better writer.
ReplyDeleteHi Kari. It seems there are a lot of things in life we have to take with a grain of salt. One of those is suggestions by critiquers. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteI seem to be surrounded by critics lol. I will have to go look for the others.
ReplyDelete