Writing can be an isolating experience a good portion of the time. But, it doesn’t have to be all of the time. One of the things I’ve learned in my journey to become a full time author is how wonderful the writing community can be. From the forums of the NaNoWriMo website to live groups at the local library, the writing community can be so beneficial.
Now, I know most writers are introverts so the thought of talking to people in real life can be horrifying. But, I encourage you to check out groups at your local library. Attend a talk, go to a workshop. There’s one branch of my library system that has a writers center. They’re always hosting talks and classes. I’m going to one at the end of this month. It’s an all day long event called “Leap Into Writing Day.” (Get it? Because it’s on Leap Day) At the end of March, there’s a writers conference. They have speakers who are self published and traditionally talking about craft and business. And there’s a book sale. In the fall, at another branch, there’s a conference specifically for indie authors. I went last year and there was an author who wrote a series about a boy getting stuck in a video game. So, now I have to get those books for my nephew. I found a pair of craft books that I will review one of these days as soon as I have the energy to finish reading them.
If your library doesn’t offer anything for writers, or you really don’t want to interact in person, online is a great option, of course. You can reach people all over the world. Facebook groups, the forums on NaNoWriMo, even Discord chats. But, be warned. Some of the members of these groups are very self interested. I’ve left several because every post was “Buy My Book” spam. Try one out for a while, get a feel for the members, and if the point of the group matches what you want, you can end up making some valuable connections.
I recently found a Facebook group for writer moms. Everyone has been wonderful. Sharing experiences balancing our love of writing and responsibilities of our business with our love of our families and responsibilities in caring for them. I’m seriously on more Facebook groups than I can keep track of so I need to go through and purge my list but that’s beside the point.
The NaNoWriMo forum is a wealth of information. They have forums for your region, age group, and just about every genre that’s out there. I’ve met some wonderful people through the pen pal forum. One of my pen pals I even invited to my wedding. We met in person for the first time when she came to stay with us and it was so much fun. Also, when you become buddies with someone on NaNoWriMo, you can see their word count on their profile. You become accountability partners. Sending each other encouragement when someone falls behind in their goal. In April and July for Camp NaNo, you get sorted into cabins with others and it’s the same thing just in a smaller group.
What community are you a part of? In real life? Online? Facebook? Twitter? Other? I’d love to hear. Have a good week!
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