There are a thousand reasons why a writing community is essential. It’s not necessarily always chocolate and cheese and excitement (*though I’ve recently joined a group that is exactly this and it’s wonderful even if I rarely get many words written on pages during these sessions.)

Creative work is just the same as any other job that requires a bit of practical know-how and a whole lot of passion. But, for me at least, there is this weird hesitation to call it work, especially at the beginning of the road. 

Writing fiction is a side hustle. It’s a hobby. It’s a nice pat on the head from your family and friends. At least that’s what I let myself believe until very recently.

Three Reasons a Writing Community is Essential

1. Writer friends make it all a little less lonely

Writing can be lonely work. Especially in the early drafting stage, writers spend a lot of time thinking about their stories and writing out the words. It’s generally not the kind of thing people are doing in an office, hanging around water coolers and talking about their weekends over a thirty minute lunchbreak. Writers are staying up late in the night after work, they’re scribbling away on trains and in parking lots at after school sports with their kids.  There are some very fortunate writers who get to do it differently, no doubt, but for many new writers, I dare say it’s fitting into the cracks of life. At least to begin with. Having a group of writer friends who aren’t always together, but who understand the struggles makes it all feel a little less lonely.

2. Writer friends help you grow

There is always someone to learn from. A writing community is such a wonderful way to learn from people a few steps ahead, whether that be in their drafts, their edits, their practical training, or their entire writing career. Other writers are taking courses you haven’t heard of, experimenting with structure, or attending festivals you hadn’t considered.

   The opposite is also true. The most inexperienced writer approaches everything with passion. They’ve got stories to tell and they’re flooding pages with those words without worrying about all the technical scaffolding behind written storytelling. Together, those tangible skills, experience and excitement come together to create the magic. There are opportunities to find new direction – but also to remember why we all started this crazy adventure to begin with.

3. Writer friends understand the journey you’re on

Your non-writing friends and family members probably don’t really understand. For someone setting out to write fiction, I’ve found it to be a bit of a Peter Pan experience. I’ve only started publicly sharing my words recently.  Mentioning a dream to write fiction to people who don’t write fiction is kind of like admitting you’re a witch in a muggle world. That you’re going to be a rock star when you grow up. Beyond that, just like my eyes glaze over when my husband discusses the difference between a two-stroke and a four-stroke engine, discussing character arcs and plotlines isn’t exciting for him in the way it is for me. He can’t tell me why a scene isn’t working. In a writing community, we’re all talking about these things. We’re all struggling through drafts, swallowing our pride with feedback and falling in love with this path over and over again.

Probably most importantly – a writing community makes this journey feel real. It makes the satisfaction of sending stories into the world feel like a worthwhile way to spend some time. Moreover, having writing friends makes the dream of publication feel plausible. Writer friends are just as excited as you will be when you get a short story published, or when you make a book sale milestone, or launch a debut. Just like they’ll be excited for you – sharing the joy that others feel in their own achievements reminds us all that it’s possible.

Yelling into the void is no fun. Having people bouncing back creative energy is a game changer. A life ring in the wild seas of a literary life. And writing is just better with friends.

For me, finding like-minded writer friends started with Instagram. I looked for writers in my area and all the writing centres within a few hours from where I live (there are a few!) I signed up for in person seminars, festivals and a writing group that I found posted online. I virtually attended online writing festivals (also a lot of those around the interweb). I searched hashtags for writing competitions I took part in and found writers from all over the world doing exactly what I was doing at the exact moments that I was doing them. I follow other writers on their journey through social media and newsletters.

I push my generally introverted self to say hello when I see a post or a reel or meet a human in the real world that resonates with me. You never know what new friends are out there if you’re just lurking around without reaching out. 

How do you connect with other writers?