How To Create a Writing Community and Why.

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I spend most of my time alone and that’s okay! Writing is a solitary occupation and I love it. I know that some people do their best work sitting in a coffee shop or cafe, but I can’t focus unless I’m alone and it’s quiet.

For many of us solitary souls, it really helps to have a community of other writers who “get” us.

Medium is an example of a writing community. Here you can clap for someone to cheer them on, write responses and follow their work. It’s a great form of support.

In order to create a community it’s important for you to read other people’s work and to respond and interact. As a fairly new member of Medium I get few responses but when I do, it makes my day! I remember that when I read other people’s work. Responding is important. People who sit quietly and just read or post their writing without responding to others will have a slow-growing community but it will still happen.

What a community does for you beyond support is to teach you what works and what doesn’t. When you see an article get tons of reads you know you’re onto something. Very few reads and you know the subject isn’t as interesting.

Another type of writing community is one that happens in person. This is where a group of people get together and have discussions or critique each other’s work…