3 Reasons Why You Need Community as a Writer
By: Stephanie Oswald, Ph.D. — Book Coach & Co-CEO of Inspired Writer LLC
Photo credit: Brooke Cagle on UnSplash
One of the biggest myths in our culture is the idea that writing needs to be done in isolation. The truth is you’ll get more accomplished when you find a community of writers who encourage you to show up. You’ll be inspired by their work and this will naturally influence your desire to commit to your writing.
In a recent podcast episode called Why the Solitary Writer is an Outdated Stereotype, Elizabeth and I discuss our experiences writing in community and how it’s changed our writing practice.
Here are 3 reasons why you need community as writer:
Being motivated to show up for yourself
Getting feedback
Developing the habit of writing
Being motivated to show up for yourself
Even if you’re an introvert, as human beings we have a desire to be in community with others who share our interests. The same holds true for writers. When you know others are showing up to the table, or the Zoom session, you’ll want to show up too. There’s a natural inclination to want to be in community with other writers because of the shared desire to publish your book, the common struggles, and the collective focus on the craft of writing.
We’re fortunate to have a local writing group at our library, maybe you do too, but if you’re not sure where to find one, we’ve created a community online for you to join. We feature "Time to Write" sessions where writers come together to discuss goals, offer feedback, and find inspiration. These sessions provide accountability and motivation to keep showing up for yourself and write the story you’re holding on your heart.
When you’re surrounded by other writers, you feel connected to the process and you forget about feeling like you have to do it alone. There’s greater wisdom and inspiration when you’re in community with others. We’ve watched writers in our local writing group start with an idea and end with a published book in hand. It takes time to accomplish this, but we’ve seen it happen faster in a community.
The Benefit of Immediate Feedback
The opportunity to receive feedback on your writing is also an incredible benefit of being part of a community. There’s no doubt it can feel scary to share your writing. At one time or another, every writer has wrestled with feeling like their writing is not “good enough” and yet, when they have the courage to write in community with others this perception shifts. You begin to realize when you can share and get feedback it helps you grow as a writer.
Feedback doesn’t have to be scary. Too often there’s the idea that if you send a piece of writing out one time and it’s rejected, or you read something and it doesn’t resonate with others that you’re not a good writer. This isn't true. These are opportunities for growth. At a recent conference for writers, I heard over and over again, in different rooms, from authors who shared how they learned to look at their writing with new eyes every time it came back to them after being rejected. A rejection is a form of feedback and is an opportunity for continuing to improve your craft.
In our “Time to Write” sessions, we have time after we’ve been writing when we share what we accomplished and open up space for feedback.
Developing Your Writing Habit
Connecting in community with others encourages the development of your writing habit. You begin to show up more consistently. You find yourself thinking about your writing. You want to share what you’re writing. There’s a gradual transformation that’s taking place from writing to being a writer.
It takes time, if you aren’t already in the habit of writing consistently, to create the space and time for yourself. That’s the magic that happens when you’re in community with other writers. Your identity shifts. Your sense of self shifts. You get more writing done when you surround yourself with others who are facing similar struggles and triumphs. You’re more likely to stay the course and see your way through to your goal.
You want to write a book. You can do this and we want to help you. If you’re curious about our community, our book coaching, or our courses, we invite you to schedule a coffee chat with Elizabeth for memoir writing or Stephanie for fiction/self-help writing. We’re here to help you write your book and overcome your fears of the next step to keep you writing. The world needs to hear your voice and we’re ready to meet you.
Don’t miss a blog post! Subscribe today!
Inspired Writer Collective Co-CEOs: Stephanie Oswald, Ph.D. (left) and Elizabeth Wilson (right)
