It’s Hard Writing Alone: These Writing Communities are Great for Aspiring Writers
Self-discipline can be tasking for aspiring authors. Here are some great online writing communities for aspiring writers!
Self-discipline can be the bane of anyone’s existence but is especially tasking for aspiring authors. Until you sign a book deal, there’s no actual deadline for a first-time writer to worry about. You can self-impose one (ideally), but it’s too easy to keep pushing and pushing it.
I mean, even with a likely colossal publishing deal behind it, George R. Martin’s next installment in the A Song of Ice and Fire series has been pending for 12 years now, so deadlines are flexible. But that extreme example aside, what I’m getting at is that accountability helps.
We need something holding us to our goals, so we see them through, which I’ve mentioned before elsewhere. It’s also nice to have other people to talk to now and again when we step away from work to ask questions, field ideas, and hang out with. And there’s no better place to find that support than in an online community.
Online Writing Communities for Aspiring Writers:
If you’re fortunate enough to live and work in a major city, you can likely look into some great local groups and meetups for writers. But there are thousands of aspiring authors out there who don’t have that luxury.
What they likely do have, though (especially if you’re reading my blog!), is access to the internet. So we will look over some of the great online writing communities for aspiring writers where you can gather in the digital age. It will not be an exhaustive list, and everyone will have their tastes as to what they enjoy, but I hope there’s something you’ll like here.
What began in 1999 as a writing challenge has grown into an incredible non-profit organization supporting writers worldwide ever since. You can still enter the National Novel Writing Month challenge every year, which is its own reward, but you also connect with others in the community and find writing groups via their forums.
They also provide a whole support network for those that want to create a writing group. Overall, it’s a great site to visit, easy to navigate once you’re a member, and has much to offer writers of all ages.
Once you secure a free membership at Critique Circle, you have access to a robust writing community that has been going on for ages. It’s a well-maintained, clean-looking site with groups of all types to give you feedback on your work, discuss ideas, and whatever else you want in a community.
But to ensure not just anyone goes around demanding feedback, their system is built on credibility. You have to give feedback and build a bank of “credits,” which you then spend to submit your own manuscripts for review.
Their premium membership also offers a lot of bells and whistles, but you can get a lot of mileage from signing up for free. It’s a well-made, flashy site, but it has plenty of substance once you’re a member.
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Another excellent online writing community for aspiring writers geared towards helping authors get better, it has a free membership where you’re limited to the amount of writing you can share, functioning like Critique Circle.
You earn karma points by helping other writers with feedback and then spend those points to post your content for review. They also provide access to regular classes for extra cost with exclusive access to Scribophile members.
These classes are great as you connect with established authors directly throughout the lesson to receive insight and feedback on your work. It’s a great-looking, simply structured site that is straightforward with what it offers.
It doesn’t get more to the point than this site. Again, another flavor of writing community with access to writing groups and resources. They also offer classes and prompts for inspiration and support for authors of any genre.
It’s free to sign up, and you get a lot of mileage from that basic account. But the higher membership tiers offer more benefits like storage for your writing portfolio. It’s one of the longest-running sites, so if you’re looking for a community with pedigree, this one’s another great stop. It may not be as flashy as some of the other sites mentioned, but it offers a lot and is easy to navigate.
A massive, free online community that offers a lot for so little. It’s a great space for finding writing groups, participating in contests, finding workshops, and much more. It’s a basic-looking site that sometimes feels cluttered, but don’t let that fool you when browsing around. If you want a free option with robust features, WritersCafe is the place to go.
For the fantasy and science fiction crowd, Chronicles is a forum focused on writers in that genre. While it’s not replete with features and resources like the other sites mentioned, it boasts an involved community, which is the entire point here.
They’ve been around for a long time and have credibility in the industry, so you can find like-minded writers to help you get feedback, bounce around ideas, and so much more. As a forum, it’s a basic setup, but sometimes simple is nice.
There’s a very deep, diverse community on Reddit for anything, and writing subreddits offer plenty for authors of all types. However, you need to request to join as things have changed on the site. But, once you’re a member, you can find a community that supports you at any stage, in any genre, and it’s likely all free. Though it’s not as straightforward to navigate and find exactly what you want, there’s still a lot of knowledge in the various subreddits, and it can be a great online writing community for aspiring writers.
Social Media
While not as straightforward as joining a website with an established interface and community, social media is a fantastic space to connect with other writers.
Facebook has plenty of groups, both online and local, that support authors. #WritingCommunity can help you find others on sites like Twitter and Instagram, and #BookTok is a big part of TikTok and will help you find a group as well.
Then there’s Pinterest; even if it’s not geared towards hosting writing groups, plenty make use of the numerous boards focused on writing to support and promote their community.
Speaking of Facebook groups, I invite students of my course into a private space to connect with their peers and myself, so they can get feedback and ask for support. I prefer Facebook over other social media sites and find it’s a great spot to grow a community. If you like what I offer and my approach to the craft, consider checking out the course and becoming a member of the community I’ve begun to foster around here.
It’s easy to get lost in our craft and personify that idea of the hermit author plying at their typewriter in creative anguish. But writers are people, too, and need to socialize with others who “get” us. It feeds our inspiration, gives us a place to discuss our anxieties over our work, and gets feedback to help us improve.
Thanks to the internet, it’s never been easier to find a community that fits you if there’s nothing local around or you’re just not into meeting face-to-face. Take some time to check out the sites I’ve shared or go deeper, as there’s bound to be something out there that speaks to you. If you have more questions about my private community, please get in touch with me at jsims@jairesims.com.
About Jaire Sims
Award-Winning YA Author, Course Creator, Blogger, and Self-Publishing Consultant. At twenty-one and as a junior in college, Jaire was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Fast forward one year, Jaire proved that he had overcome all of the challenges he had faced up until this point by graduating from Monmouth College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies.
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