When Writing Relationships Fray

Along the road to success, every creative is dealt their own hand of cards. Each story is unique but many of them have common threads: early minor successes, the meeting that provided a singular piece of wisdom, the session where everything clicked. One story I have heard from time to time is about the loss of a writing partnerships.

Good things can fracture like terracotta. A rift forms in a relationship from a myriad of reasons. Business disagreements might stack up or a false rumor tunnels its way into the light. Sometimes we act out of turn or a writing partner’s actions are beyond forgiveness. We can arrive at a point of dissolution from many different angles.

When that dissolution occurs we are met with familiar friends. Anger, sadness, grief, confusion - the litany of negative emotions goes on and on, greeting us as we process the closure of a once beatuiful thing. It is a difficult thing for a friendship to end, especially one born from the creative expression and emotional intuition necessary for artistic collaboration.

In the end, we are left with a hole in the space where love used to go. And, therefore, it becomes a task to fill it anew. We must meet new collaborators and foster friendships with new boundaries and a sense of stability. Though it feels impossible to replace what was lost, one may feel confident that amongst all of those of us working in music, there will inevitably those with whom you can create great work.

If you’ve had an important writing relationship end, my heart goes out to you. It is no easy thing to process that and move on. But - I promise - the future is bright.