Why Writers Need A Community

Writing is such a solitary activity. When we sit down at our keyboards, we are, ideally, alone with just our thoughts and this story hovering at our fingertips just waiting to be written (or not depending on how well our day is going). Other people can encourage us, support us, check in with us to see how our writing is going, but, unless you’re co-writing, you’re working on this book completely alone. Head down, music on, fingers on the keys, just working away in a quiet room by yourself. And that’s good. Creativity needs time, space and quiet in which to do its best work. I’m sure we all know just how much harder it is to write when we have someone looking over our shoulders or talking in our ears. Most of the time, creation needs to be a solitary activity.

But the solitary nature of being a writer can also be a problem. Unless your immediate family is interested in dissection plots, sympathising over unruly characters, or discussing literature throughout the ages, it can be easy to feel that you’re alone. In everyday life, it can sometimes be hard to find people who get writers. I’m sure we’ve all had at least one conversation that has started out with us eagerly trying to discuss what we’ve been writing, only to trail off into silence as our conversation partner’s eyes glaze over and you feel them disconnecting from the topic entirely. It’s easy to feel like we’re weird and alone, like there’s something write with being a writer and with what we’re creating.

As writers, we need a sense of community. We need to find that place where we can discuss books and the struggles of writing and creating with other people who understand what we’re going through. We need to connect with other creators and bond over shared experiences. We need to know that we’re not alone in this crazy quest. We need to close the door and do our work in peace, but then we also need to com out and feel like we’re part of something. regain our perpective, discuss the things that really interest us, be exposed to new ideas and concepts, learn from others, or just realise the things we struggle with an experience are more common than they first appear.

Being part of a writing community, whether you have a couple of friends you chat to about writing, or a small private writing group you communicate with regularly, or whether you belong to a bigger writing community like on Twitter, keeps you from feeling so isolated. It’s easier to keep writing, to keep creating and feeling inspired and motivated when you don’t also feel alone. Because when we spent so much time alone, it’s so easy to think that we’re the only ones struggling, the only ones going through this thing we’re working through right now. It’s so easy to think that no one’s interested in talking about the same things. And that’s simply not true.

So while we do need to close the door and make a peaceful space to isolate ourselves in while we’re writing, we also need to make sure that we come out occasionally to talk to people and to remind ourselves that there are other people out there working towards the same goals as us, experiencing the same successes and struggles, people who love the same things we do. We need to remind ourselves occasionally that even though we create solo, we’re never really alone in this.

Where do you find your writing community? Do you ever feel isolated or alone as a writer? What is your favourite thing about belonging to a writing community? Let’s chat in the comments down below!

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