It’s no secret that writing can be a quiet and lonely career. While it’s great to have some time to think and write, there are many benefits to finding an online writing community.
We have more access to people and groups than ever before, and you no longer just need to rely on a local writing group in order to meet people. There are thousands of (paid and free) online writing communities that can help you accelerate your career as an author.
When you find an online writing community, you not only find people who can help your career, you can find people you enjoy talking to and continue to help each other grow.
No matter what niche you’re in or what book genres you write in, there are so many groups you can join to get specific advice for your career.
Let’s go over why you need to find an online writing community, what to look for in one, and where you can start looking.
Why you should consider an online writing community
Most writers know the value of getting feedback on their writing, but an online writing community can help you do more than just that.
Depending on the type of group, you could get networking advice, accountability friends, writing challenges, ideas for formatting, publication advice, and more.
The right group can help accelerate your entire path as an author.
If you have the time, you can even join multiple groups to get advice in a few areas.
Not to mention, it can be great to meet new people, especially ones who understand your career path and can provide advice that your non-writing friends can’t.
Let’s dive into just a few of the benefits to joining an online writing community.
4 benefits of an online writing community
Not only can an online writing community help your career, it can also help you as a writer in general.
Whether you are a new writer or a seasoned veteran, there are always good reasons to join an online writing community – and here are four of them!
1. Networking
Being able to network with other people who share your interests can do wonders for your enjoyment as an author.
You might be able to connect with other authors, agents, and professionals who can help your career.
Networking can help you meet new people who are interesting or ones who can help you along your publishing path.
2. Inspiration
Being able to talk to other people who can inspire your ideas or creativity can help you get past writer’s block and start seriously writing again.
It can also be inspiring to simply talk to other people who are moving their careers forward. Even just logging on to talk to other writers who are also in the trenches can help you.
3. Support
Writing is a hard career, and it’s not often one that is surrounded by people. When you have a tribe to lean on, it can help ease the loneliness and stress of the journey.
Having people to share in the camaraderie of writing and everything that comes with it can help so much.
4. Improving your craft
If you work hard to find a good group, you can seriously advance as a writer as well.
Talking to people who are excellent writers or have business experience can help you save all kinds of time in your career. These people can give you advice only people who have experience can give.
You might get insider information that you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else.
So now that you can see just a few of the benefits of joining an online writing community, how do you find a good one?
Related: The 25 Best Writing Websites for Authors in 2024
What to look for in a writing community
One of the top things you need to think about before joining an online writing community is what you need out of a group.
If you skip this step and just join every group here and there, you’re going to be spending more time chatting with people in groups than you do actually writing.
While it’s nice to have a community, you don’t want anything to take more time than doing your craft.
That’s why you need to take the time to think about what would help your career at this current moment.
You don’t need to look way down the line, either. If you haven’t even written more than a few pages in the last year, you don’t need to jump into publishing advice. At that point, you’d just simply need a group to help you stay accountable to building your writing habit.
You can always find a group for what you need later on, but don’t jump ahead and start to accumulate information that distracts you from your current goal.
How to be a good participant in a writing community
To get the most out of your online writing community, you need to bring as much effort into it as you want to get out of it.
Most people join writing groups and just expect to get everything handed to them.
That’s not how writing communities work.
Just like any other community, you need to get just as involved as everyone else in order to get something out of it.
You’ll want to schedule in time to not only post in the community, but give feedback and tips as well. No one likes someone who only comes to a group to take information instead of giving back as well.
Where to find an online writing community
First, let’s talk about what authors need to get a book published. This will help you narrow down what sort of community to look for. Pre-publishing steps can include:
- Writing accountability
- Niche advice based on the genre you’re writing for
- Feedback on drafts
- Editing advice
- Publishing advice
- Book marketing advice
Sure, there’s a ton that falls outside of those main pillars, but those are the big blocks for authors to overcome on their way to becoming published.
With that in mind, you can either find a group that covers all of the above pillars or find a group that focuses on the level you’re currently at.
Now let’s dive into some specific groups you could join.
NaNaWriMo
What is NaNoWriMo? It’s National Novel Writing Month, and there are some wonderful online communities for writers to go with it. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to finish an entire novel (50,000 words) within the month of November.
It’s a super intense and passionate community with other authors and it might just be the challenge you need.
Genre-based writing groups
This suggestion is specific to you, but if you are writing in a particular genre (such as horror, true crime, fantasy, or something else, you might want to look for a group specifically related to your genre.
Different types of advice apply to different genres so being with people who specialize in your genre can be incredibly helpful.
Wattpad
Wattpad is a great place to connect with both readers and other writers.
You post your work there to get feedback and connect with other people.
Reddit writing communities
Reddit has a ton of writing communities you can join, and it can be a great place to get feedback or meet other fellow writers.
Selfpublishing.com
If you’re an author who wants to take their publishing seriously, selfpublishing.com has a variety of services available for authors that include passionate writing communities!
You will be able to meet other people who take their writing just as seriously, but also get the help and support you need to get your book published.
How can selfpublishing.com help you accomplish your goal? We can offer advice for writing, editing, book cover design, book marketing, self-publishing on Amazon KDP, and much, much more! If you’d like to learn more about our services and how we can help you launch your next best seller, reach out to our team for a free strategy call today.