Finding Community as a Writer
Something I have discovered as a writer is that it can be a very lonely existence—or hobby—to have. While there are countless book clubs, finding a supportive writing community often feels like searching for a needle in a haystack. It can take a lot of digging and kissing a few frogs to find a prince (or princess) of a writing group. The perfect ones often seem like narwhals: you know they exist, but you can’t help but wonder if they’re actually mythical creatures. (And yes, it wasn’t until my 30s that I realized narwhals are, in fact, real.)
I had dabbled in writing during the "before times," but I was still intimidated and had to work through some personal challenges. It wasn’t until 2019 that I began to believe in myself as a writer truly. Fun fact: the reason I even got back into writing was because my best friend of 33 years bought me a membership to MasterClass. That gift lit a fire under me to write again and to really learn my craft.
Of course, since 2020 was the year the world shut down and went virtual, finding a writing community became even harder. I spent a little bit of 2019 visiting coffee shops and participating in a few write-ins, but between a demanding job, young kids, and general family stress, I didn’t get much time to do that. In 2020, I found a writing community that struck a nice balance between connection and write-ins, and I thought it was great—at first. Unfortunately, the host of the group went on a tirade about how women in relationships or mothers weren’t their “authentic selves,” and I no longer felt comfortable participating.
After bouncing around to a few virtual groups and connecting with folks online, I eventually formed a friendship with a woman from a local writing community. We bonded over our shared disdain for know-it-alls and rude writers. She introduced me to a craft group that has been one of the single best things to happen for my skills. From that group, I found an online writing community that’s forum-based but also offers a mentorship program. I joined the program about two years ago, and it’s been phenomenal. I consider the mentorship program the main reason I was finally able to finish the draft of my current WIP. The mentors were incredibly understanding, helping me work through sticky health situations and allowing me to pause and restart my membership as needed. If you’re looking for an excellent novice writing mentorship, check out The Write Practice.
Another community I’m part of is my state’s Writer’s League, which opened up a whole new door to networking and access to professionals. Through their suggested professional services database, I found the most amazing editors and book coaches, whom I’ve worked with on both my previous novel and my current WIP. Meeting these book coaches also led me to the most supportive writing community I’ve encountered. Over the summer, I had the chance to meet my book coach/editor face-to-face, and the first thing she did was introduce me to some of the smartest female writers I’ve ever met. Finally, between my writing cohort at The Write Practice and my community through the Texas Writers’ Group, I’ve found my narwhals—and, dare I say, my unicorns!
Finding community as a writer has been as much of a journey as becoming a writer itself. Some of the struggles were self-imposed: insecurities, inexperience, and extreme awkwardness got in my way at times. But thanks to the amazing people I’ve met along the way, I’ve found two communities that support me exactly as I need. This year, I plan to do more “write-ins” because I’ve discovered that body doubling works wonders for my productivity. I also intend to attend a monthly writer’s breakfast meeting here in Austin to see if it’s something I’d like to join. Finally, I plan to attend my second-ever writing conference later this year—a conference specifically for the genre I’m writing in!
I hope you’re able to find your writing community, and if you ever want to connect, just reach out.