The Importance of a Writing Community

Oh boy, has it been a while since I’ve reached out here. And there are a few reasons for that, though not a one of them is a good excuse.

I have joined a new writing community! Now strap in while I share the good, the bad, and the wonderful.

Writing is often treated like a solitary “sport”. You go home, or you go to a coffee shop, you sit in a corner all by your lonesome, and you write your thoughts. Maybe you watch people. Maybe you record their conversations. Maybe you write down how they look. Maybe you do so from your window and become “that creepy neighbour” who just stares.

Don’t get me wrong, that’s okay. A part of that stuff (the legal parts) are important to understanding things like environment, character dynamics, realistic, and engaging dialogue. Sometimes it’s exactly what you need to just sit the hell down and write your heart out.

But a community is an integral part of writing.

What do I mean by “community?”

This could be as small as a local writing group, or an online group of writers who chat every so often about their works. It can be an intense writing circle where you critique 10k words a week and discuss the pitfalls and direction your work is going in. It can be a collective of thousands who post their work online and chat about their take on a genre. The key point of the community is not its size or dedication to the craft of writing, but rather the interaction.

Reading isn’t a solitary act. I mean, it technically is – only need yourself to read a book. But the work itself is something we engage with. We have a conversation with what we read. We laugh, we smile, we gasp. Just like hearing a friend tell a good story, we engage with what we’re reading and I don’t think the process of creating the work should be absent of this.

A writing community allows you to have a conversation about your writing, about your craft, and about how you approach a subject. Be it commas, serial or not, the use of line-breaks, opinions on the strength or weaknesses of tropes, or diversifying tone within a work – hell it could be about what cover you like best for your next novel! But you’re talking, you’re engaging. When we engage with others on our art we become closer with the art itself. We bring that engagement into the piece, we become more conscious of our pitfalls and strengths.

Dear gods, writing communities are not just important but essential.

I had no idea until I started branching out and engaging with more authors.

Now, I did mention good, marvellous, and now the bad. Because like all things there are downfalls.

What’s wrong with writing communities?

Finding the right one for you. Like a writing group, like a circle of friends, like any social activity there is a chance that it doesn’t bring out the best in your own behaviour. It may instill bad writing habits, or be damaging to your self-esteem. Is that to say you should join a community that doesn’t critique? Absolutely not. Without seeing and addressing our failures and weaker parts of our craft, we can’t grow. But some writing communities are just not a good fit.

I’ve been fortunate. I’ve been unbelievably fortunate. I’ve found in-person writing groups where only scheduling has been our obstacle. Writing groups that are supportive, and kind, and nurturing, while challenging me to become a better writer. I have found a community that makes me laugh and has opened up new avenues of growth and understanding of what I’m creating. And I’ve also found those that hurt, that take too much, that I don’t give enough to, and that honestly I just didn’t get along with. Finding the right path isn’t easy but I can’t tell you this enough; it’s worth it.

I have joined a writing community recently that really helped open up my eyes, hone my craft, and just talk about writing. And I love it.

But I really need to get back to that writing thing.