The Solitary Writer and the Community

Are you working alone at a computer? Do you face the blank screen or page on a regular basis? If you answered yes, then you are not alone. The community of writers spreads out across the world, each of us working on our creative endeavors, facing our own inner demons: doubt, fear, worry, the urge to check email, the need to eat, and yes, the infernal deadline. Whatever demon you face, you are not the only one.

Yes, we're writers, a community of solitaries. And when we're not writing, where do we find our creative community? Be a part of a writers community! Be it an informal writers groups, writers associations, writers' classes and conferences, writers' email loops or the local caf, or all of the above.

Informal Writers Groups
Ask any writer you know and they may belong to a group of other writers who gather on a regular basis, either to write, to critique each other's writing, or to kvetch. To find an informal writers group, ask at your local library, check the bulletin boards at your local coffee shop or grocery store, or search craigslist.org.

Writers' Associations
Writers' associations offer community, where writers congregate to support each other on their path to publication. They also facilitate that necessary triad for learning: 1)you, the writer, 2)a person to learn from, and 3)another person to teach. Here are a list of many writers' associations:

The Authors Guild
Broad Universe
International Thriller Writers, Inc.
National Association of Women Writers

Writing Classes
Writing classes offer community, instruction, support and guidance. For where to take classes, and from who, check your local community college, craiglist.org, or community bulletin boards. Many private teachers teach small classes. If you're not sure the teacher or the class will be a good fit, ask to speak to the teacher ahead of time.

Writers' Conferences
I highly recommend writers conferences. There's nothing like the tremendous power of being able to meet agents, editors, and best-selling authors who are pros at both the writing and the promoting, and take workshops designed to help you advance your writing, your career or both, within the space of a few days. For writers conferences, check out Poets & Writers, Writers Digest, and The Writer.

Writers' Email Loops
Writers' email loops exist for many writing genres and sub-genres. Yahoo and Google host many email loops and are fairly searchable. If you have trouble finding a loop that suits your particular writing needs, ask writers who write in the genre you want to be a part of to see what loops they participate in and like.

The Local Caf
If you have one, the local caf is a great place to be alone with our thoughts, our stories, and still be around others, and provides a welcome change to the routine of being alone at your desk. I often write my first drafts in cafes.

We are Alone Together
To manifest a career as a writer, to even get a book completed, it takes a writing village. And though we as writers live in isolation from community to comment on it, we need community of like-minded creatives for support, guidance, feedback, and energy exchange.

Learn more about this author, Beth Barany.
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