Over the holiday weekend, my good friend Molly and I had a long catch-up by phone. She used to live across the street from me and we shared many a coffee and chat together. I still miss her, though she’s happily relocated to Washington State. When I filled Molly in about my search for an agent, she offered to put me in touch with a friend of hers, Pam, who’s written a number of novels and is no stranger to the ups and downs of publishing.

Molly’s a connector, so soon after, I wasn’t surprised to find an email from Pam in my inbox. Though we’d never met, she couldn’t have been more helpful! She suggested several resources for me to check out, shared her own publishing strategy, and even gave me the name of the agent and literary agency she’s working with. How generous Pam was with her time! That’s one of the many things I love about writers: their willingness to share ideas and offer a helping hand.

This calls to mind the importance of finding kindred spirits who share a love of writing and can also provide support and encouragement when the going gets tough. Consider Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald: they talked about writing, compared notes, and offered each other suggestions about works in progress. What an amazing, nourishing friendship that must have been for these two writers! Each of them was fiercely committed to his own craft, yet found the time and energy to help along a fellow traveler.

Every day, we have to find the inner discipline and motivation to come to the page, ready to give it our best. What a huge difference it makes when someone cares enough to help us through a rough patch. Thanks Molly, thanks Pam! Write on.