The writing community is unlike any other community of professionals I have ever been privileged to be a part of. Whether talking to novelists, textbook writers, ghostwriters, freelance writers, or bloggers, I get the feeling that they get me.
They understand what I'm going through.
The struggle of getting a rainbow of thoughts out of my head and into black and white lettering — they get that.
So if you're new to writing, or if you don't have a community yet, here are six reasons why you need to get one. And fast.
6 Reasons to Love the Writing Community
1. Writers look out for each other.
Whether they're talking about a case of plagiarism, a client who skipped out on paying an invoice, or a piece of software that charges much more than it's worth, the writing community is tight knit. To go up against a writer means not only getting on the wrong side of his or her friends and followers, but every other writer he or she ever comes across again. And guess what, we take the writer's side almost every time. We don't even ask for the other side of the story: writer says someone didn't pay him or her, we take that as gospel. Someone get plagiarized? We all know who did it.
2. Writers are happy to help each other.
Even though the writing industry feels competitive, writers really aren't competitive against each other. We like to help each other be our best. Insights, reactions, ideas, tips. Whether you need help fighting writer's block, or developing a story idea, you will find sincere, genuine help from someone who wants to see you be successful.
3. Writers know what you're going through.
We've all been there. Dealing with rejection. We've all stared at blank pages screaming inside for not being able to fill them with prose. We've all hated our works. We've all yelped for joy for finishing a chapter. Fallen into depression when we feel like we're failing. Gotten sick of a story idea. Thrown entire drafts away. We know how hard it is. Better than anyone else, we get it. And we don't even need to know the details before offering our hugs and support.
4. Writers offer shared creativity.
If you have hit a block in your work, big or small, you can ask a group of writers and you will receive dozens of new ideas for where to take your story next. There are entire websites, discussion forums, groups, and even books dedicated to offering writing prompts, character ideas, plot themes, and premises. Want to write about werewolves but don't know how to make it stand out against the other werewolf novels already out there? Want to take fairies to a new realm and make them different?
5. Writers have — and share — the best resources.
When we find an editing software we like, we tell everyone. Word processor. Website. Doesn't matter — we tell everyone we know. And it doesn't even matter if they already have something they love, chances are if we tell them about it, they'll still try it. And it doesn't stop with software. Groups we find supportive, collaborators we love working with, anything and everything that will give you a leg up, we will share, share, share.
6. Writers will promote other writers.
Because writers also tend to be avid readers, we are always on the lookout for something to read. And the market doesn't always keep up with our literary appetites. This is one of the reasons we want to help other writers get their works done so quickly — we need something good to read! And beyond that, we will promote each other like nobody's business. Have a new book coming out? We will share it, talk it up, buy it, review it, and talk it up some more. We can't get enough.
Did you enjoy this article? Here are some more posts about writing you may like:
- Get the Most out of the 2022 Writer's Toolkit by Ultimate Bundles
- The Stress of Not Writing… You Must Forgive Yourself
- 15 Borderline Genius Things about Creating Cultures in Fiction You Need to Know Now
- Blog Post Ideas for Fiction Authors
- How to Write Through Stressful Times
