It’s been said that the life of a writer is a solitary one. There are some professions which require that you sit alone and work for hours on end, but many more where you work with people. These are the jobs where we make friends, even if they are only “work friends”. Still, we see them every day and they can become something like another family to us.
But writing is a completely different scenario. Rarely are we required to consult with another human about what we are doing. Most research can be accomplished on the internet which is isolating in itself. I can spend hours writing in my office by myself with the phones turned off to eliminate the possibility of contact with anyone. If we are introverts, this may not be difficult to tolerate and we may even enjoy it. We may acquire “followers”, but not friends.
Sometimes it seems as if writing is itself a good friend. Yet, we are lonely together.
