The expression “it takes a village” has never been more accurate than when it comes to writing. A lot of the writing process is solitary; only you can visualize and capture the story you want to write. But once a final draft is complete, your writing benefits from having other eyes on it: editors, reviewers, and even agents, if you’re pursuing the traditional publishing route. As scary as it sounds, your writing eventually is no longer just yours.
But knowing you must eventually share your work is one thing. It is a whole other beast to go about finding the people to share it with. Fortunately, you are not alone. Thousands of other writers are looking for people to share their work with. And thanks to the Internet, sharing is easier than ever. There are several ways to go about building your writing community; once you have your community in place, the possibilities are endless. Here is what you can expect to learn from this article:
- Benefits of Having a Writing Community
- How To Build Your Uplifting Community
Benefits of Having a Writing Community
According to a 2023 study, having a sense of community can positively affect your mental health. The study reports people who had a sense of community experienced reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress — all things that, as any creative person knows, can plague someone stuck on a project.
Ask a hundred different people to define community, and you will get a hundred different meanings. Most writers, however, will agree that a community can best be defined by a book. From conception to the final product, a piece of writing goes through many hands to become a book. Beta readers, reviewers, editors, literary agents — even other writers have a hand in helping other writers bring their vision to full fruition.
Support System
A community can provide mental and emotional benefits as well as productive and professional benefits. Writers in writing circles have reported gaining a valuable network, knowledge of the publishing industry, and effective feedback about their projects.
Groups like workshops and social events also enforce a sense of accountability that can boost your productivity. It allows you to set deadlines and work on invaluable skills like organization and time management. You get to practice receiving constructive feedback and learning what it would be like to discuss your craft with other professionals.
It’s a Give and Take Situation
For all you get from writing groups, joining one is not a one-way street. As you receive advantages from gaining feedback, guidance, and advice on writing, you should expect to endow some wisdom of your own. If this is your first time participating in a workshop environment, don’t let your nerves keep you from participating. While not a mandatory part of all writing groups, people remember those who only take and never give.
How To Build Your Community
The steps for joining a preexisting writing community and building one of your own are similar. The purpose of this post is to help you find one that is already out there and suits your needs. If, in your search, you think it will be better to make your own, you can still use these steps to guide your process.
1. Establish What You Want
We have already established the benefits that come with writing groups. But to use these benefits to their utmost advantage, you must figure out precisely what you’re looking for in a group. Do you want a group that focuses on the craft side of writing? Do you want a group that navigates the ins and outs of submitting a manuscript and signing with a publisher? What about a group that does both?
What you want depends a lot on your project. What stage your project is in can determine what kind of group is the most helpful to you at the time. And the type of project it is can point you toward groups to join. You can narrow down an initially overwhelming pool of possibilities by defining the format, genre, and intended audience.
2. Find People With Similar Interests
Knowing how your writing fits into the ever-evolving mosaic of publishing can help you find your people. Format, genre, and target audience are all indicators of how to market a book and who to market it to. They are also valuable traits that will help you find writers with similar projects.
You might already know like-minded writers. You may follow them on social media or read their reviews on mutually read books. Reach out to them; introduce yourself and make a connection. They may already have a writer’s group that you can join.
If you don’t have any connections to other writers – essentially starting from scratch – start with a simple Google search. Many writers chart their journey through blogs or social media accounts dedicated to their craft. Often, these same writers will invite people to reach out to them with questions or comments, which is an excellent opportunity to introduce yourself. They may already know of a group you can join, or they might be interested in starting one with you. But you’ll never know if you don’t reach out.
3. Seek Out Your Physical Community
National Events
While virtual communities can be great, they are not your only option. Many organizations hold yearly conferences, which are large-scale opportunities to meet with publishing professionals from all over the world. Attendees include writers, published authors, editors, agents, and more. Here are a few examples of the possible conferences you can attend:
As shown by the above links, most conferences have a theme. Some are grouped by genre, others by target audience, and some by experience level.
Note: Most conferences have a registration fee for attendance. The fee can change depending on the activities you opt in and out of. Some conferences, like Killer Nashville, have volunteer opportunities for those interested in working at the event. Other conferences, like All Write, Columbia, have scholarships available. Check each conference’s website for cost information.
Workshops
Writing workshops are also a chance to dedicate time solely to your writing while also meeting other writers. Several organizations – from non-profits to universities – offer workshops throughout the year. The workshops can vary in length, happening anywhere from three days to six weeks. Below are three of the most well-known workshops for writers:
Like conferences, most workshops have a fee to attend. Some workshop hosts can give financial aid to attendees, or host contests to cover the cost for a chosen winner. Check each workshop’s website for all pricing information.
Local and Regional Events
Conferences and workshops can be a great way to immerse yourself in your craft, but they are a sizeable financial commitment not everyone can afford to make. More affordable options include tuning in to the literary happenings in your city and its surrounding area. Be on the lookout for readings, literary fairs, book festivals, and author meet-and-greets. All these are great ways of finding like-minded people in your area while not spending more than the cost of a book.
4. Use The Internet To Your Advantage
The digital age has dozens of forms of social media at your disposal. Some offer you a sense of control and authority by letting you create your own private group. Others are public forums that host open groups happily looking for more members. No matter what you decide is the best way to start building your connections as a writer, you are bound to find a digital platform that fits your needs. Here are just some of the most popular platforms.
Discord
Discord is a social messaging platform used by professionals and casual hobbyists alike. The platform lets one user join multiple groups. Within each group, several channels can be divided based on topic, use, and channel type. From text to audio channels, there are multiple ways for group members to communicate with each other.
One thing that appeals to users is that entry to groups is by invite only. If you aren’t the creator of the group itself (known as “the moderator” who can accept or remove users from the group as needed), then you need an invite link to join the group. This offers privacy for the group members and a way to keep unwanted users (like bots or trolls) out.
X
X, formerly known as Twitter, has ample opportunity to follow other writers and creatives. From writers to editors to other industry professionals, there is a large pool of people to talk to and connect with.
Many writers use X to connect to a larger international writing community, known as “wrtwt” by people in that community. These members can be authors posting about their own writing and publishing experiences, agents looking for submissions, or publishing houses advertising job opportunities.
Slack
Slack is a communication platform used mainly by businesses and school groups for internal communication. While Slack appeals to companies as a workplace for employees, anyone can sign up with Slack using a valid email address or Google account. Once you have created a Slack account with your email, you can set up your workspace or group as you see fit.
Slack shares many similarities with Discord, including having roles for group members and being able to divide channels by their topics. While Slack doesn’t share Discord’s audio abilities, Slack can host different forms of links. From sites like Google Drive, Notion, and WordPress, Slack can recognize when you’re sharing a link from this website and even let you connect your accounts to Slack.
Bluesky
Bluesky is a recently launched app that many netizens have started using as an alternative to X. As a platform, Blue Sky has a similar site design to X but with fewer paywalls, making it a promising site for early career professionals.
More and more people have been turning to Bluesky as a way to make professional connections without adhering to a paywall. And, as countries like Brazil begin instating bans against using X, Bluesky is becoming a more probable option for international networking.
5. Consider Friends and Family
A creative project can be deeply personal and sharing it is a vulnerable act. When it comes to seeking thoughts on writing, it might feel easier to turn to strangers. Strangers, after all, have no insight into who you are as a person and can be more objective about your work. But as intimidating as it may be, looking closer to home for feedback may help you find the community you’re looking for.
Friends and family are an easily accessible way of starting a community. They may be writers themselves or at least readers. Even if they aren’t a part of the bookish world, they still might be eager to support you. Start by discussing something you’re working on. If they are interested, ask them if they’d like to read a few pages. They may say no — in which case, you don’t have to worry about being vulnerable. Or, they might say yes — a terrifying prospect, but you might be better off for facing it.
Remember to be Patient
Like all things worth pursuing, finding your perfect community takes time. You may have to repeat all five steps a few times before you meet people. Or you may do the first few steps and find your perfect match. Everyone’s journey to finding their people is different. Don’t be discouraged if your journey looks different from someone else’s. What matters is that you find what works for you. The sky will be the limit as long as you and your work have a safe, productive place to flourish.
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