I Need Sherpa People!

That’s what I need! Sherpa People! I had sherpas written but for some reason Word and all doesn’t like that and has squiggly red lined it. Phbbbbtttt. – yeah, so it doesn’t like that either.

I still think I’ve discovered that I need sherpas. Sherpa people then, Word.

Writing is challenging enough without trying to hoist the load of excess words, or perhaps worse, none, alone. There’s so much to the writing life that doesn’t even involve just the words and writing. There is the writing and how to keep learning and getting better at it, and all the time spent doing that. Then there’s also the business of understanding marketplace and your niche, your voice, and how to shop your writing, market it and sell it. And on and on. All while you’re trying to do all that word packing and writing stuff. There’s a myriad of different rocky paths to stumble through, it makes sense that it would help to have someone along that is willing to help you and share their pitfalls on the road you both are traveling.

In case you’re wondering if the recent stresses and cold and snow has made me go….well, a little high altitude, I will explain.

A blog post email thing popped into my email. http://www.chipmacgregor.com/

Being there procrastinating hard things to do of course forced me to read it.

Especially when it said – January 07, 2010 Not Going it Alone ...
And I’m sitting here alone at my desk trying to muddle everything out.

I knew it touched me when I started thinking about climbing Everest. Okay, so not really. In the real literal sense anyway. I’m not exactly a cold weather kind of gal really. All that heavy clothing makes me look too....poofy.

But the writing life sometimes feels like you are on as tough and cold a trek as that. And as the blog author puts it, writers need sherpas. Okay why can they get away with sherpas and I can’t? Oh, they have a Sherpa. Can’t I have more than one? I have a very supportive husband. Not sure I’ve considered him a Sherpa though. Perhaps I need to go and look at him again. But I also know no matter how supportive and understanding he is, there are some things he just doesn’t truly understand. And I feel it’s not fair to him and his trek through life to burden him with all the travails and heavy backpacks that I have accumulated that he can’t really empathize with because he’s not on a writer’s journey. He just lives with one that he probably feels throws snow balls at him, a lot. I don’t think he necessarily thinks that fun b-t-w.

So I think I could use more than one Sherpa.
Can you have too many sherpas…Sherpa People?
Since I figure I need sherp….. I need Sherpa People. I figure that way there’s not only just one that gets all tired and cranky wanting to rest and holding things up when you have the air to go on a bit way farther. But can warn you honestly, without being rude or mean or self-serving if it's better not to, for awhile or for a reason. And the same for them. Since I’m not expecting them to be sherp…Sherpa People alone. I am continually working on myself to try to be a better writer and be a better friend, especially to fellow writers, so I guess that could make me a possible Sherpa. Sherpa in training?

I know I want these things the author mentions in the post. Like this : "…Do you have a Sherpa in your writing life? A spouse willing to encourage you regardless of the sacrifices? A writing partner who understands the costs and keeps you moving forward regardless? A critique group committed to helping one another get in condition? Maybe, if you're ready, you have an agent who believes in your talent and is moving along with you step by step. If not, perhaps this should be the year you find someone to help keep your eye on either the big picture or the next small goal, depending. Someone to hold you up when your knees buckle in exhaustion. Someone to keep you thinking about the importance of your personal goals when you risk losing motivation because you realize there is a line of people before you waiting for their turn to stand on top of the world."

I feel I have the one, but not sure if I have any of the others. I want these and ALL the things the author mentions in the post that writer Sherpa People can do for you.

What about you? Are you looking for a Sherpa?
I know I am.
I’m looking for Sherpa People, not just a Sherpa.
But I can start with a Sherpa. Know anyone like that? Know where I can find some Sherpa people that are interested in trekking along together?
Read the post and let me know, maybe we could look together or something.
I'll be here slogging along the track somewhere. Uh, don't forget to look in the ditches along the way. Just in case.