When we picture successful writers, we often imagine them holed up in an office, typing away at a keyboard for hours on end with the door shut and the blinds drawn. Sure, writing a book can be a solitary venture. It requires a lot of time to sit by yourself and just write. But in reality, the process of writing, editing, publishing, and marketing a book isn’t done in a vacuum. Pick up any book, look at the ‘Acknowledgements’ section, and you’ll see what we mean.
Despite this fact, many aspiring writers forget or ignore this critical component of the process. They never ask for help or seek out other writers for support. Instead, they try to go it alone, which is where many writers go wrong. Without people around to encourage you, support you, and hold you accountable, it’s easy to give up on your goals.
Here are six reasons why you should start joining or building your writing communities today.
Many people want to write a book, but only a select few are able to do it. Why is that? More often than not, it’s because people want to write books, but they don’t need to. This means aspiring writers have to hold themselves accountable and see the project through—without any guarantee of success at the end.
There are moments at every stage of the writing, editing, and publishing process where writers can give up. Maybe they don’t have enough time. Maybe more important things come up. Or perhaps they give up because they get lost or confused during the process. This is why support and encouragement are so vital for writers determined to succeed. Having others around—whether it’s family, friends, other writers, or readers interested in your book—to support and encourage you can be the difference between an unfinished draft and a published book.
No matter how great a writer you are, it’s tough to look at your own work with an objective eye. That’s where feedback comes in. As you’re editing your book and preparing to publish, or even after you’ve published a book and are getting ready to start your next one, hearing from others can be crucial to ensure your book is the best it can be. Unsure which publishing path is right for you? Need help developing your characters? Want to know what makes you stand out as an author? All of these are questions others could help you answer.
Many authors shy away from feedback because they’re afraid of criticism of rejection. But feedback is necessary if you want to become a better writer. Remember: great writers are not great writers because they can write without errors; they’re great because they are able to listen to others, take feedback, and fix their mistakes in order to get better.
Think about any time you’ve started a new job or venture. Did you have someone around to show you the ropes? To answer your questions? If not, you probably felt pretty lost, and possibly even made a few mistakes as you tried to figure things out on your own.
Although many writers don’t consider this, it can be extremely helpful to enlist an established author (or authors) to help mentor you through the writing and publishing process. That way, you always have someone around to share tips, answer your questions, and help you navigate what is often a complicated and confusing process for new authors.
Writing communities don’t have to be exclusive to just other writers—they can include potential readers as well! Having communities of dedicated readers or your target audience can be extremely beneficial to you as a writer, particularly during the marketing phase of your book.
Building and growing communities of readers online and in-person allows you to engage in real-time with the people who will read and enjoy your book. In doing so, you’ll be able to get to know them and understand them better, thus be able to write to them better. Not to mention, fostering his relationship will go far in ensuring your success as an author and growing your reach for even more success in the future.
Every aspiring author knows how important inspiration can be to the writing process. Just like reading your favorite books or work from your favorite authors can inspire you to work on your book, watching other writers just like you learn, grow, and succeed as published authors may be one of the best ways to gain inspiration for your own writing endeavors.
Once you become the expert, you can then start helping and lifting up other authors to reach their writing goals, as well. Maybe you found great success with a specific editor, learned a lot of helpful tips about publishing on Amazon, or know the best ways to market a book on Instagram. All of the things you learn along your writing journey can be passed onto other aspiring writers who are hoping to find success just like you have. So spread the wealth! Reach out to other writers and see how you can support them on their paths to becoming published authors.