Don’t write alone

Dear writer, don’t write alone.

Yes, I know that writing is typically a solo activity—one writer and one keyboard. You can still hit up the keyboard for some one-on-one typing. What I’m talking about is the in-between writing time. The time when there might be doubt about sharing your work, struggles with inspiration, needing a resource and not knowing how or where to find it, and so on.

Being a community member in a writing group—virtual or in person—has advantages. Some benefits include:

1. Becoming comfortable sharing your writing
2. Becoming comfortable talking about yourself, especially as an author
3. Learning the best way you can provide feedback to other writers
4. Inspiration, encouragement, and motivation
5. Guidance and help
6. Knowledge and resources
7. Help to reach writing goals
8. Scheduled writing time
9. Growth
10. Networking

A big writing group that comes to mind is NaNoWriMo. I’m quoting the NaNoWriMo page with this description of what NaNoWriMo is. Their website says, “NaNoWriMo is a (c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides tools, structure, community, and encouragement to help people find their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page.”

There are Facebook groups and LinkedIn groups. You can sometimes find groups within your community or at conferences. Blogging communities are also wonderful. This was my first connection to the writing world and I owe so much to the blogging community. I started joining various blogging groups and interacting with other writers through there. It was through one of my blogging groups I was advised of the Women in Publishing Summit—another amazing community that I have learned so much from.

There are editing groups and review groups. Some Facebook groups I belong to are Fantasy & Science Fiction Writers, Alessandra Torre Inkers, Publish with Purpose, and Book Launch in a Box. Some LinkedIn groups are Fiction Writers Group, Writers and Illustrators Circle, FirstEditing.com, and Writers & Authors.