Finding a Writing Community

Oh look! A wild writer appears.

In 2023, I made a daunting goal: to find other writers. Local, online, I wasn't fussy. I was writing, and as my fingers pounded the keyboard, my heart longed for others who could empathize in ways only other writers can. I needed a writing community. Perhaps you're here because you're trying to find kindred writer spirits, too. Like many things, finding writing friends is more of a journey than a destination. Here's mine so far, along with thoughts on finding your own.

Locating a local writing community

The first idea I had for finding fellow writers was NaNoWriMo. If you're unfamiliar with it, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Participants attempt to write fifty thousand words of a rough draft of a novel in November. It's been going on for a while: I first tried it in college. It took me five or six attempts to write 50,000 words successfully. In 2012, I wrote the rough draft of a young adult science fiction novel that will forever remain in a binder in my garage.

It's worth pausing to mention that after the competition wrapped up last year, information about NaNoWriMo moderators and leadership came to light. I'm not going to get into it here. It's pretty icky. Here's a write-up if you want the details.

In 2019, I won NaNo again, finishing 50k words and succeeding at writing myself into a corner.

In 2023, I didn't particularly want to participate in NaNoWriMo, but I did have a goal to start drafting a novel and meet other writers. I knew NaNo encouraged community involvement, so I got involved. 

I have a more than full-time job and two kids under 10. My free time supply constantly runs thin. I talked to my husband and let him know I'd be attending a few events and write-ins before and during November. That's one brilliant thing about the whole setup: you can attend as many or as few events as you want. If you're a time-crunched person like me, find something where you can pick and choose events or make sure the group's cadence works with your schedule before committing.

Another member of the local NaNo group decided to form a group of her own after NaNo ended and invited me to join. It's a fun, casual group where we play games and do writing exercises. The group meets at a local used bookstore (that also happens to be my Karate dojo). The bookstore also hosts regular events, many geared toward writers. 

Because of the recent NaNoWriMo scandal I mentioned earlier and the changes the NaNoWriMo organization is making, I hesitate to recommend NaNoWriMo as a starting point for finding a community. In fact, my local NaNo group has decided to part ways with NaNoWriMo but remain as a group of local writers. The group has a Facebook page, and I recommend searching Facebook for local writing groups. Local indie bookstores are another place to check. They may not have regular events, but writers often happen to also be readers, so the staff might know where to start looking.

Online writing communities are great, too

I have a secret: I'm in too many writing discord groups.

Two I found during NaNo and the rest through Threads. If you're a writer and you want to find community online, I can't recommend Threads enough. Look for the WriterThreads hashtag. Introduce yourself. Say hi. We'll find you!

Oh, and there's Substack. Here I am on Substack, writing about writing. I know I'm not alone. I've enjoyed some camaraderie in the LitMagNews comments and SubClub. The lit mag submission trenches is a place where I had yet to find my people. I'm also participating in Writing in the Dark's Visceral Self intensive. (Shh, I'm late on the last assignment.)

My novel is still a work in progress, and so is my community involvement

Now, the problem is that I'm overflowing with writing communities. I can't keep up with all the little white circles in Discord, and I can't attend all the meetings I'd like. I want to give as much as I take. And I'm still searching for a regular critique group. Where in my schedule would I fit a regular critique group?

My last advice: if a writing community isn't serving you, it's okay to leave. It's a lesson I still need to learn myself.

I want to end by saying how much I appreciate my discord communities. I’ve made some real connections, and I love being able to see the amazing creative work from fellow members. These communities have been a huge positive these past few months.

Where have you found your writing community? Please share in the comments so we can learn from you.