Hello, and welcome to technique six. And this is our last technique for the entire course, we finally gotten to the end technique six states build a community of like minded riders. This is from strategy eight habits. And this is in our last section of the entire course. build a community of like minded writers. And once again, it depends on the kind of writer you are.

What's available to you. There are a lot of great online communities, online groups, some of them you may have to pay a minimal fee per month, but from my experience, if you can find the right one, those have been very beneficial to me. If you find ones where people are experienced, if they're newbies, they are sincere, and they do good work and they give good feedback and they have good insights and it's an exchange you it does take time. It does take energy, you are supporting other riders. But when you're supporting other riders, you're helping yourself as a writer, you get ideas from them, you get insights from them, you read other people's writing, and it helps you to think about what you need to do in your own writing. And so the other community of like minded writers, for example, join a writers group online or in person.

I've done both and both have been beneficial. I've been in some that weren't as helpful. And if you find that don't be afraid to find something else, find what works for you. However, if you join one, try to keep your commitments to the group and try to be dependable in helping the other people in the group. Other things, find friends to read your work, return the favor to them and take classes. A lot of people find that taking college courses, continuing ed courses or online courses or even other courses in places that sell these courses online like Coursera, and Udemy.

Those are places You can go to refresh yourself, you may even want to get a degree in writing, if you're really serious about it. It does cost money. So it's something to think about in terms of commitment. It's a lot of work. I got my MFA in creative writing. And yes, it is a lot of work.

For me, it was worth it. And everybody has to make that decision for themselves. But it is another way to become to build connections and network and to get to know people and to learn more. I learned more from that degree than all the other time that I've spent writing combined. My writers group has probably been the second best for me as well. Whatever keeps you accountable.

A lot of people motivation is their issue. And so it's like, it's almost like if somebody is religious and they go to church, having that community of other believers helps to keep them accountable to living the life that they want to live. And so writing is the same way it keeps you accountable. You may not feel like it but you know, other people are depending on you. And quite frankly, you don't want to look like an idiot. Maybe so you But it motivates you.

And that can be a good thing. To have that motivation to be accountable. You keep other people accountable as well. And when you keep other people accountable, it makes you feel like you need to do that too. So you're not hypocritical. So it helps you to grow as a writer helps you to be supported.

It helps you to stay connected to other riders and task oriented and results oriented environments to push you to your next level of riding. That's where you'll see some of your greatest growth as a rider. Make sure your riding companions have strong skills. It would be ideal to have some riders that are stronger than you and maybe some that are not a strongest, so that you can be a mentor and also be mentored at the same time. I've been in both positions and both are necessary and good at different stages in your writing life. So just a little bit of explanation for this.

Having other writers behind you will motivate you, even if it's like I said to avoid embarrassment and it increases your chances of producing consistent and improved work, because you're going to raise your standards, you're not going to want to produce shoddy stuff for your partners and companions. And so you're more likely one to do your work and to to make sure that it's as good as it can be for a first draft. But keep in mind that it is a first draft, it's not going to be perfect, and you're there to help and support each other. And so if you're in a group where people are like, Oh, I love your piece, it's great. And they never give any honest feedback. They're not helping you.

And then the same way if you're in a group where people just seem to enjoy power, and they try to buddy into everything that's sad, and they enjoy just criticizing people and tearing the work apart. That's not productive either. I tell my students when they do peer reviews, to balance it out, you've got to be honest, a good friend is honest with you. You're not going to grow as a writer unless somebody tells you what you do well and what you don't do. Well what do you need to work on specifically, and it needs to be concrete. And also, like I said, you want to be tactful about it, there's a way to do it that is kind, but honest and sincere at the same time.

And there's a good balance there, that creating an environment that is conducive to productive writing, even if it means shutting the door and having a specific time you are not to be bothered whether you have children or a significant other, or roommates have times where you're not to be bothered. For example, when I'm doing stuff like this, I won't even let my animals in the room. I love my animals. I play with them. I cuddle with them, but it's just meantime where there's no interruptions and no distractions. No Facebook, for example, no cell phones, but set protective boundaries around your writing time and space.

And you can be kind about that, but don't apologize for that. Be true to yourself, be true to your writing and build a community of like minded writers. And that is the Last strategy, habits and I hope you've enjoyed this strategy.