Author life can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be! Find and join a small writing group or a writing community to level up your #authorlife happiness to the max!
I love a good writing group! Finding a community of writers to confide in, laugh with, and learn from is one of the things that helped me grow and improve as a writer (and actually gave me the courage and push I needed to pursue my writing outside of a fandom community!) in ways I never could have imagined.
I’ve always found so much joy in the sense of community, camaraderie, and knowing a group of people who know the specific pain of #justwriterthings such as agonizing over comma placement, arguing with your characters, the joys of scene blocking, staring down a blank page, and getting twenty thousand words into a “quick little idea” before realizing oh shit *narrator voice* it was not, in fact, a quick little idea. It’s one of the best parts about a fandom community–you share a common interest over the same story, the same characters, and the bonus is you figure out writing together and form some of the closest bonds of friendship. It’s a magical experience!
But making the jump to original fiction? Not only is it a scary leap, but it can be so isolating and lonely, which wreaks hell on the creative mind. It doesn’t have to be that way, though! You don’t have to go it alone, silently trudging through writing your manuscripts alone. If you’ve been feeling that way, like you’re in a dark void and losing steam because your family doesn’t know you write (I’m raising my hand right along with you), then you should join an online writing group. Of course, there are in person groups you can join as well, but the beauty of online is that it connects you with people just like you all over the world, and is easily accessible at all times of the day. You don’t have to wait for your weekly Thursday night meeting at the local library, you can just log in to chat, share your questions, learn from each other, and cheer with everyone to celebrate wins. It gives you incredible perspective and valuable insider knowledge from those who are further along the road in their writing journey, and allows you to reach back and give a hand to those who begin down the path after you.
Discovering Discord communities is one of the things really changed the game for me. I was able to chat in real time, search chats, join different interest groups, and more with a chat service available on my computer, on the web, and from my phone on an app. It’s brought me so much closer and more connected to people in ways that other platforms like Tumblr, LiveJournal, and DreamWidth just can’t achieve. Now, whenever I poke my head into a new fandom I’m enjoying, I always try to hunt down a Discord group, especially one for writers/creators!
All of this sounding amazing? Ready to join up to a rad group of writers pursuing indie publishing?
>>>Come check out the Indie Author Alchemy Lab writing group on Discord!<<<
This group was put together by my friend and author, Holly Ostara. She’s got a big passion for community and has created a wonderful space for authors to come together and cheer each other on, seek and share resources for writing craft and publishing, and have excellent discussions. Below you’ll find some more information on the group. I hope to see you there!
What’s the Indie Author Alchemy Community?
An online community, hosted on the Discord platform, for fiction writers who plan to or already do indie publish. Use it to…⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- make friends
- find critique partners
- build your ARC team
- discover great new indie authors
- join in on productivity sprints and writing sprints to get those words in
- get questions answered by other writers who know what you’re going through
- take part in regularly scheduled voice chats about different topics
- authentically & genuinely promote your books and services
- share your blog posts & social media accounts
- build your author brand
- and so much more!
Why Discord & not Facebook?
Because so many writers need or want to keep some distance between real life and pen names. Discord has a similar design to Slack, but comes with more options and has a browser version.
Discord…
- allows for a clear topic organization with channels
- lets us chat in real time with audio
- can be accessed by browser, native app, Android, or iOS
What’s the catch?
No catch! The community is and will always be free. Join now to become part of the community! The community is 18+.
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