"I finished my book...but no one cares"

What to do when you have friends that don't write...

Get rid of them...

...I'm joking. Writing isn't for everyone, but there's nothing more frustrating than being on a high from finally finishing a book, and no one seems to care.

If you're like me, that "book high" is nearly impossible to contain and my book is all I want to talk about. 

(I figured if it's alright for new parents to brag about their babies, then it's alright for me to brag about my story (which is my baby))

So, what do you do when you've finished your book and none of your friends seem to understand? My advice is get yourself a group of writer friends. 

No one understands writing like another writer.

I have three writer friends who each have strengths in different aspects of writing (it just happened that way, I didn't plan it, but its very convenient).

I talk to them about everything to do with writing and they understand! 

They know when to praise and celebrate with me or when to buckle down and help me iron out a kink in my story.

I go to them because it builds me up as a writer. 

Not that non-writing friends are bad, I have plenty of those too, but they are not interested in the nitty-gritty that goes into the book.

Even then, your non-writer friends are not completely useless; I would use them as your test audience. Allow them to read your story (or at least discuss the plot with them), if they stay interested, then you've got a good story on your hands.

Use your writer friends for editing, character correction, to detect plot-holes and they can even help pump up your story.

I love "Book Talk" with those friends because I always walk away from a brainstorming session with even more ideas to bring my story to the next level. 

So, what if you don't have any writer friends?

First, start talking about writing with people in your life (like coworkers, friends, church peeps, club members, etc...) sometimes, there's a fellow writer right under your nose.

If that doesn't work, join an online writing community. A few good ones that I've tried out are Readwave, Writers Cafe and Worthy of Publishing.

These sites allow you to post your writing for others to review and comment, to meet other writers and to even join into fun contests. 

Or, if neither of those work for you, join a writing class. 

Boom, you're suddenly surrounded by more people like you!

Writing is a beautiful thing, don't sell yourself short, get out there.