The latest chapter of Loyalty Fallen is out and you can read it here. If you’ve yet to start reading the fantasy novel, you can begin here. Loyalty Fallen is the story of a princess who is accused of her husband’s murder on their wedding night.

On to the main topic of this post, which is why you need to find a writing community.

A lonely job

Writing can be an extremely lonely business. I know that in my case, my immediate family wasn’t particularly interested in my writing, and I didn’t know how to find other writers who were interested in the same things as me. As a result, I wrote for 15 years before I shared my writing with anyone outside of my immediate family. When I started my job as a professional writer, I worked from home. As a result, I barely interacted with other people. The pandemic exacerbated this even further.

At some point, I became extremely discouraged and burnt out with my stories and my ideas. The people I spoke to in my tiny circle seemed disinterested, and I had been writing for so long with virtually no feedback and no way to know if I was improving.

I decided to change that this year. I became a part of multiple writing communities and connected with various people who encouraged me. I came to realize that I had some really good ideas and something to offer.

And I began to love writing again.

Connecting virtually

I have severe anxiety, which means I have a difficult time stepping outside my house or interacting with other people for the most part. If you’re the same way, then know, it isn’t easy to start widening your circle, but it is worth it. You don’t have to start with conferences or in-person meetups. You can start online.

1. Shut Up & Write

If you’re not ready to talk a lot about your story or have a lot of back and forth, but you still want to start expanding your circle, Shut Up & Write is a good place to start. The organization allows writers across the world to meet up virtually via Zoom meetings. There are meetings all day every day of the week, so just find one at the right time for you.

Usually, meetings start with all the attendees saying where they are writing from and what they’re doing. It can be as simple as “editing” or “administrative tasks” or “writing a novel.” You don’t have to give details. Then you’ll have anywhere from an hour to two hours of silent, uninterrupted writing with your new writing buddies. At the end, you can say how much progress you made and sign off.

I spent a decent portion of my earliest writing days without any human interaction, so just sitting (virtually) with other writers makes me feel encouraged and supported. Shut Up & Write is free, and you can attend as many or as few writing sessions as you want.

2. Forums

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ve seen me mention a number of forums that I’m part of. Forums and online communities like Mythic Scribes, SFF Chronicles, Scribophile, and Critique Circle can help you build an audience and connect with other writers. I even managed to find a critique partner. There’s also Reddit, with subreddits like r/writingprompts and r/fantasywriters being particularly active.

Look for forums that are specific to your genre or take a look at Groups on Scribophile to make sure that you can connect with like-minded writers. While you can use more general forums, you might have a harder time finding people who are writing the same kinds of things you are.

3. Discord

I would consider Discord a kind of next step in interacting with other writers, and I haven’t done much in that regard yet. However, I did join a challenge to edit one of my novels in the month of January. I had some personal issues going on at the time, so I wouldn’t say I was particularly successful, but it was a good community. I recommend this if you’re looking for ways to connect with more people in real time.

Connecting in person

If you’ve already taken the plunge to get plugged into various online groups, maybe it’s time to go one step further.

Shut Up & Write also has in-person meetups. Look for meetings near you. These events will likely be a bit more social, allowing you to interact with other writers after the silent writing section.

Also, it will vary from place to place, but my local library has several events geared towards writers. They’ve had workshops, meetups, and one-on-ones with published authors. Take a look at what events are being held at your local library to see what you might want to join.

Finally, you can write at parks and cafes just to spend a little time outside of the house. You may even meet another writer. Cafes and libraries are great for this because they tend to have internet you can use; just keep in mind that public Wi-Fi isn’t secure, so you may end up with viruses on your computer if you’re not careful. Try using a mobile hotspot or working offline instead.

Final thoughts

If you can relate with not having a lot of support around your writing, then you’re the only one who can change that. Go out and find people who care. No matter what genre you’re in or what style you prefer, someone else will like it too.

In the meantime, please like this post and subscribe. It helps a lot. And as always, enjoy Loyalty Fallen!