Today we bring you the answer to a very important question that every writer needs to ask. This question is about their existence and is one of the most important questions out there.
The question we are talking about is whether writers need a writing community. Should writers work and exist in isolation or should they join a writing community or group?
In order to answer this question, we will need to understand the importance of writing communities and why it is very important for writer support.
We will understand why writers need community or even why writers need writing groups as we will delve deep into what kind of support writers need to improve their craft.
We will talk about things like creative collaboration as well as things like industry insights that help writers always stay one step ahead of the competition.
We will understand why writing communities can help in building confidence but also help in finding beta readers.
This is going to be a very informative blog but also a very fun one because if you ever plan on becoming a writer and you want to know how to exist and you cannot choose between isolation and community then this blog is for you.
Let us start by understanding what is actually a writing community.
What Is a Writing Community or Group?
A writing group or community is exactly what it sounds like because it is just a group of like-minded people who come together to discuss and improve their craft. We mean fellow authors and writers.
A writing group or community can have different objectives and goals and sometimes these goals can be in the form of collaborative efforts to write something together.
People in the writing group or community help out each other from time to time and provide each other with different networking contacts and also help out their members with any other kind of publishing difficulty.
For example, if you were in a writing group at the time when ebooks were becoming popular then you might have asked your group to help you out with ebook formats or how to create an ebook.
And this is exactly how a writing community should work and a functional community does exactly that and helps out its members with everything related to writing.
We can even find writing communities funding a self-publishing project for a member because they do not have the means to do it but that is rare.
That is why if you want to describe a writing group or community in one word then it would just be support. However, we would also like to add that it is much more than support.
What Are the Types of Writing Communities?
Writing groups can be of different types as you can find formal writing groups that belong to a certain community or genre or you can even find informal writing groups.
Informal writing groups are rather more popular because the members of these groups just become friends.
These writing groups can have a physical location where they meet from time to time and this used to be the case before the advent of the internet.
And that would also be a limiting factor for these writing groups which did not allow a lot of diversity or expansion.
But now you can have writing groups of people from all over the world coming together and sharing ideas on a Zoom call and keeping up with each other in their Facebook group.
The members of these groups might never meet physically in a location and they don’t have to because they simply can discuss their ideas online.
It is just more convenient that way.
These Are the Benefits of a Writing Community
A Great Learning Opportunity
One of the most important reasons why people join writing communities is simply because it is a great opportunity for them to learn something new.
When it comes to writing, it is not just about the power of imagination because a lot of the work is technical.
That is where there might always be someone who is better than you and would be able to help you with a lot of tips and suggestions.
That is exactly why people join writing groups because they want to meet with people who are more skilled and experienced than them so that they can get important lessons from them.
These lessons can be in the form of time management and they can also be in the form of different technicalities such as how to use editing software etc.
A Great Source of Support
We are humans and we all need support whether it is understanding how to do the basic things in our life from our parents or support from fellow authors as an author.
That is exactly why people love to be in groups because they can get other people just like them who can then support them with their experience and expertise.
Authors need support as well and they also need encouragement and if they are in an environment that supports them and understands their struggles and helps them with valuable tips then that can go a long way.
It is just like any profession because some professions and jobs have designated people who train you but some professions simply do not have anything like that.
You do not get a training officer before you become an author but you might need help from someone like that who is more experienced and that is where a writing community can be very helpful.
A Great Networking Hub
A new and amateur author might join a writing group just for the encouragement or support but an experienced author is going to join a writing group just for the networking.
This is because you are soon going to realise that networking is the single most important element of being an author because in network can help you reach places.
If you have a robust network then you can enter the offices of publishers and you can also tap into existing distribution networks of bookstores.
Along with that, networking also comes in the form of readers because the other members of your writing community might ask their readers to try out your book.
That is why it might be possible to exist alone if you are an author but it is much easier to be in a place where you are able to tap into existing networks that have already been established and proven to be effective.
You can then use that help to establish your own network and help out someone just like you by sharing it with them.
A Great Opportunity for Accountability
When you are writing in isolation and you are doing your own thing, you are not accountable to anyone but yourself.
But when you are constantly sharing your work and providing updates to the members of your writing group, you become accountable to them.
You start trying to become more responsible with your writing and you start to develop a routine and you begin to develop your own sets of rules regarding discipline.
This is excellent for an author because now they have a reason to keep on writing and keep on being on time for their friends in the writing group.
We all need accountability in our lives and a writing community does that for an author.
A Great Place for Feedback
If you have read the point about accountability then you know why a writing group is so important because when you constantly share your work with your group, you are also going to get feedback.
Every skilled professional needs constructive criticism and that criticism is even more valuable if it comes from people from their professional community.
That is exactly what happens if you join a writing group because if you have a group or community and you ask people from that community to review your work, they are going to be honest with you.
They will tell you things you could have improved and they will also talk about the things that they like about the work.
Since they are going to be honest about it, every bit of the advice that they provide you and the feedback that they share is going to help you even if you do not like some of them.
Every professional needs to have a community like that where they can share their work and people can be honest about it because when the whetstone of criticism stops, people tend to become blunt in their skill.
A Lot of Collaboration Opportunities
If you are an author and you are seeking collaborative opportunities then the best place to find coauthors is going to be a writing community.
It is going to be much more difficult for you to get people to contribute to your book if you do not belong to any group and if you do not contribute to that group regularly.
But if you already belong to a group then there is a sort of friendship that develops and a sort of comradery.
Then you can quite easily ask more people to contribute to your work and they might also be well acquainted with your work because you provide them regular updates.
This will also open up new opportunities for you because they might also ask you to contribute.
This Is Where You Can Find Writing Communities
Social Media Platforms
The best place to find a writing community is going to be social media platforms and when we say social media platform, we mean everything from Facebook to Instagram etc.
However, we are specifically talking about Facebook because there are a lot of excellent writing communities on Facebook.
The concept of group is quite well established on Facebook which means you can find your specific writing groups and be a regular contributor to that group.
You can share your ideas and you can even talk about your work and share regular updates about your work with them.
However, you must keep in mind the risks of plagiarism when you contribute and share your work on social media.
Community Forums
One of the other places where you can find good writing communities and groups is going to be community forums such as Reddit.
These forums are going to have a lot of communities but the only thing is that these communities are going to have a lot of people.
This means if you want to be part of a small group of people then this is not the best way to do it and the other important thing is that people are anonymous on Reddit.
This way it might be difficult to trust someone in a place like that. However, you can meet nice people there and then create your own group on Facebook and add them later.
Writing Competitions and Events
If you want to physically meet a lot of like-minded people and create a group with them then you can meet them if you visit different writing competitions.
When we say competitions, we mean different literature events and festivals as well as competitions held during those events.
If you keep an eye out for these events then you can go and meet a lot of people out there and you can also gain more information about writing groups from these events.
You can also meet fellow authors in book fairs and it is all about communicating with them and establishing a connection with people like you.
Physical Locations
A lot of libraries and even literature societies and universities are going to have writing groups for people who are associated with them.
If you are associated with any educational institution or even some other community or group like that then you should try and find out if they have a writing group.
You can also find other writing groups that are well-known and have physical locations in your locality. All you have to do is a Google search and you can find out the ones nearby.
It is just about finding any community and then finding more communities from them because one door usually opens a lot of other doors in the literary world.
We hope this blog has helped you understand everything about writing communities and why writing groups and communities are so important to any author.
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