Three Good Reasons to Escape the Basement and Bathe in the Light of Writing Communities
By Gail Tagarro / 9 September 2022 / 5 minutes of reading
Today's post is an accompaniment for Writer's Connect newsletter Issue 65, which expressed some ideas about community as a writer. When one conjures up an image of a writer, 'community' is not exactly the first thing that comes to mind. On the contrary, writers are often solitary and reserved, preferring to stay far away from the spotlight.
Like anyone else, however, we writers benefit enormously from community. Aside from the obvious social enrichment and the joy of sharing your passion, community (or a lack thereof) can make or break your experience as a writer.
Dust off those social shoes and follow me to find out how!
Thank you to Tyrone Couch for contributing this blog.
Sharing Is Caring
Obvious though it may be, there's no overlooking the value of sharing a mutual interest with others. No matter how enthusiastic you are about something, having no one to share it with can be incredibly disheartening. There is, of course, merit in writing for yourself and for writing's sake alone ... but our creative endeavours are not unlike messages from our soul, and without anyone to receive them, we can begin to wonder why we send them at all.
Maintaining an active connection with others who share your appreciation for the craft, whether as readers or as writers, is certain to increase your output and engagement. With any luck, it might also stave off some of the loneliness and existential dread!
The More Eyes, The Better
One of the greatest and most satisfying relationships a writer can have is a mutual editor—that is, another writer with whom you exchange writing for reciprocal editing and insight. If you can manage to find someone who understands your work (and vice versa) willing to engage in mutual editing, you will have found something very precious indeed!
Not only will your collective works improve tenfold, by providing each other with a sounding-board and making direct contributions to your current project(s), you will keep each other motivated and moving forward with your work.
Even if you do happen upon such a relationship, any additional pairs of eyes you can get your work in front of (and seek feedback from) are invaluable. Every reader of your writing in its early stages represents a prospective customer; if something in your work really isn't working, they can help you to catch it before it prevents others from picking it up from the shelf.
The earlier you identify such issues, the easier it is to work around them or write them out. Having a community you can readily access for timely feedback will make this process all the easier!
Community = Work
If you're looking for a compelling, practical incentive to network with other creatives, look no further than cold, hard cash! If you've any intention of translating your craft into an income, having a contact or ten in writing and related industries is absolutely essential.
For better or worse, in a professional setting, writing is a discipline in which 'who you know' goes a long way. In many ways, being an author in today's climate is as much about being a marketable personality as it is about writing. As such, the more visible and active you are in the writing community, the more likely you are to find traction.
If you truly can't bring yourself to step out into the light, there are groups on Facebook and other social media platforms that exist for just such a purpose. Excess or otherwise unsuitable work often changes hands in these groups, which makes them a valuable resource. Establishing yourself as a proactive, efficient, and productive member of such a community is a sure-fire way to earn yourself recommendations and ongoing work.
Even so, there's no substitute for face-to-face interaction. Your reach may arguably be better online, but it's also much harder to get noticed, and much less satisfying besides.
See You Out There(?)!
Hopefully you have found some incentive to relinquish your reclusive ways and embark on a journey into the creative collective (or, at the very least, go outside).
Before you go all-in on an entry for any of the above competitions, it's highly recommended that you look over the fine print to make sure that your submission qualifies and you're happy with the terms of engagement.
To help yourself make an informed decision, the Australian Society of Authors has a highly informative post on their website called 'What to look for in a writing competition's T&Cs' . To locate the article, click on 'Home', then 'News'.
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