My main advice on writing in a bubble: don’t. For ten years I wrote in my own little isolated world (save harassing my wonderful husband with plot details). Too shy to reach out to other authors, too clueless to know how. I wrote. It made me happy. Editing and knowing what the industry needs was a huge question mark.
I barely read. Partly because the last few books I had picked up left me less then satisfied. Partly because I didn’t want to unknowingly steal something from another writer. The latter had a benefit: it enabled me to develop my own voice. It’s mine, for better or worse. Ten years in the making, not faltered by my recent nosedive into reading again. And I kinda like it.
There is only so much one can do on their own island. I am now taking my first book, that I am so ready to be done, and editing again and again. And again. Each time the novel becomes stronger. Tighter. Better. Making me wish I had this advice years earlier.
As I mentioned above I also have been reading again. I am on my third book in a week. I have missed curling up with a good book. And it’s research. How did this author handle scene introductions? How is the suspense built? How did they get away with so many adverbs?
Make no mistake about it: writing is a process. It is as rewarding as it is frustrating. Write. Enjoy. Revel in your own creativity. And reach out to others sooner rather then later.
Laura Brown 