25 Authors on Writing Communities
25 Authors on Writing Communities
A while ago I read this awful article about a group of authors being catty towards one another. It seemed people (mostly non-authors) were either team Author A or team Author B in a debate over who was the worst behaved. I'm not going to name the article or link to it here because it didn't at all represent the author community I know and love.
To counteract that story, I asked twenty-five authors to share their POSITIVE stories about author communities. Scroll down to read about their experiences.
I want to note that I do not get paid to do these posts, I just love authors and the book industry. However, they do take time and energy to create. If you want to donate a few dollars to my coffee fund, which keeps this blog going, you can do so here: https://venmo.com/AshleyHasty or here: http://paypal.me/hastybooklist.
Tammy Euliano
I am so fortunate to have multiple writing communities: A group of women I met at a Margie Lawson Immersion in 2016 who continues to meet by Zoom and in person all these years later. These are my support system. We talk out plot issues sometimes, but mostly we're commiserating and boosting spirits. Then I have two critique groups that have formed over the last year, one through MWA and the other through ITW (International Thriller Writers), both are AMAZING for providing constructive criticism and useful input. As one of the ITW facilitators I have the opportunity to work closely with the other facilitators as well as KJ Howe and Lisa Gardner. Finally, if you can go to a meeting with the major authors in your genre, they are nearly all warm, welcoming and encouraging. Thrillerfest is where I met all the amazing authors who blurbed my novel: Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, Kathy Reichs, Steve Berry, Hank Philippi Ryan, Heather Graham. It's the best week of my year (don't tell my family).
Amy Lea
When I first got my book deal, I hardly knew anybody in the writer’s community. Being a newbie in such a large and established community can be so intimidating. But the day I announced my book deal, I received a DM from another Berkley author who had started a group full of other debut authors at my same publisher. I joined immediately and the rest is history!
Since that day, our group (also known as the Berkletes) has evolved, some having splintered into smaller chats according to pub year, etc. From the beginning, we talked so frequently about all the ups and downs of the publishing process, our current projects, etc. Our openness and honesty with each other has allowed us to forge such a tight and genuine bond. It has gotten to the point where half of our chats aren’t even about writing at all, but about random things like our personal lives, movies, media, etc. The support and advice I’ve received from this group is unparalleled. Having being fairly isolated throughout the pandemic, I don’t think I could have done it without these wonderful folks.
Thank you Berkletes for making my debut experience so incredible. <3
Laura Whitfield
One of the reasons I decided to sign with She Writes Press was the built-in community of She Writes “sisters.” We encourage each other, buy and read each other’s books, and even coordinate promotional events. We have a Facebook group where we can safely share our publishing highs and lows. When someone has a question about publicity, whether to do an audiobook, or enter a certain contest, we can crowdsource for answers. Being part of this talented group of women has been one of the joys of being a She Writes Press author.
The other community I love being part of is The International Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys Book Club. Last fall, my debut memoir, Untethered: Faith, Failure, and Finding Solid Ground, was chosen as the 2022 December Book of the Month pick. With more than 800 US chapters and 20 worldwide, this book club is the largest meeting book club in the country. It is also one of the most amazing communities of writers I’ve ever been a part of. When I attended the Pulpwood Queens virtual convention in January, I met dozens of award-winning authors who have read, reviewed, and championed the launch of my book. Whenever I can, I return the favor. We buy each other’s books, review them, and cheer each other on. The support and encouragement I’ve received from my Pulpwood Queen family is an inspiration to me daily.
Jessica Stilling
I learned from reading the Greeks that there are many different kinds of love. Love between people who share an intimate relationship, love between friends, love of kids for their parents, love of parents for their kids. The list goes on. But I discovered a new kind of love when I started working with my writing workshop. I don't love them like family or good friends, I love them in the unique way one loves their writing workshop. We started getting together about six or seven years ago (I'm at the stage where I've lost count). Some of us had taken writing classes together, some were brought in by others, but we all started meeting up once a month at the Panera Bread near Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was a funny place to meet and I rarely bought food or coffee, but they let us come in without buying anything. They let us stay for hours on end, holding our table as deep discussions of the writing process and character development, what constitutes "modern" Rome and how to write an alternate history. Sure, we missed a meeting here and there, we pushed a date off because of vacations or summer plans (the flexiblity I'm sure helped keep us together so long). But we never missed more than a month and we always met at Panera Bread (except the time they closed on us and we made out way to the bar next door.) There was a core of six and while some people left and others entered, the core of us has remained in tact.
Their feedback has been invaluable to me. They helped me to realize the ending to my latest novel needed to be a good six pages longer than it was. Their feedback helped me shave a good twenty thousand words off an unruly manuscript. We have navigated literary magazine submissions and agent query together. Other than my mother, I don't think anyone has been behind my writing more than these people.
We became friends as well. I email and talk on the phone with many of them. We have hung out together outside the workshop. These were the people who braved a night of freezing rain and horrible traffic (think three hours to get somewhere that usually took one) to attend my book launch party in Kew Gardens, Queens (which, for people who don't know New York City, is WAY out of the way for most people who do not live in Kew Gardens, Queens.)
Then, the pandemic hit, and our little group, like so many groups, was in jeprody. In those early days (especially in New York City), things were scary and everything was shut down -- not that anyone wanted to go anywhere. But we, like so many others, moved to zoom. We didn't miss a meeting and talking about each other's writing really helped us through those dark times.
I published a novel, Nod, during this time, and they were the ones who helped me set up a Zoom book launch. I also dedicated that novel to my workshop group. They came to that book launch as well and watched and asked questions and helped full a zoom book launch that could have been very awkward (as these were the first days of Zoom book launches).
Now, many of us have left New York. I moved to Vermont, another spends more time in California while another has moved to Canada. But we still meet every month over Zoom. I can still count on them completely. I still look forward to their feedback and their company. I still, at the end of the day, love them as anyone would love their creative writing workshop.
Andrea Simon
My Two Writing Communities
I have two writing communities that are very special to me. Both have continued to meet during the pandemic via Zoom and have provided a lifeline as we navigated the increasingly isolated confusion of our worlds.
The first writing group has been meeting for over thirty years. We are currently seven members with different writing styles and genres. We have written—and often published—works of historical fiction, poetry, memoirs, and novels. Our work spans adult, young adult, and children. Some of us are also artists and use our skills in our literary endeavors. Six of the women, excluding me, originally attended workshops conducted by famed author Madeleine L’Engle, and fanned out into more intimate groups. Through the years, these groups continued to gather together, often at the home of Madeleine L’Engle. Although the group I joined was based in New York, nowadays, we continue to meet virtually since we have dispersed geographically.
Since the pandemic, our writing group has produced a chapbook, two novels, a young adult novel, and a nonfiction book on a noted painter. We will publish some of this work and others remain in the querying stage.
During our meetings, we each discuss our work or speak about other personal matters. We encourage each other with tips on querying agents, publishers, publicity, and marketing, or just the often-frustrating aspects of the business. Mostly, we are long-time friends and have attended weddings, as well as funerals for members of the larger Madeleine L’Engle circle.
My other writing group emanated from an online course I taught on writing about our mothers for the Story Circle Network, an international nonprofit organization devoted to helping women share the stories of their lives through all forms of writing. The course attracted a range of eight very talented and accomplished women, three of whom were from my writing group, from all parts of the United States, and one woman from Australia. It was so successful that we continued to meet as a monthly group and share our writings and other meaningful work. Not all of us are published authors, but we are all “writers” and work with prompts and other stimulating exercises. We have tackled numerous subjects, including colorful relatives, life in the pandemic, narcissists we have known, and, of course, our favorite topic: our mothers. We are currently planning an anthology of our work.
We call ourselves the Lady Bunch, so named after the rectangular format of the actors in the iconic television show, The Brady Bunch. As we appear in our three-line Zoom grid, we greet each other with affection and delight.
Both groups have provided me with professional and emotional support. I am thankful to call them colleagues and cherished friends.
Priscilla Oliveras
I’m a people person. So, while staying connected with others during these pandemic times has been difficult, it’s also extremely important for my psyche. I can honestly say that without my close writing community and friends meeting my publishing deadlines would have been really difficult the past couple of years. Between phone calls, text messages, Facetimes, Zooms, DMs, virtual events together, cards and packages in the mail, and more…goodness, we helped each other get through figuring out pandemic book releases, brainstorming new ideas, the woes of writing through the “sagging middle” of a book, Imposture Syndrome doubts, family worries, and—so important—the celebrations. Between my close #LatinxRom amigas to my new Tall Poppy Writers friends to a few smaller groups I keep in regular (often daily) contact with, these friends brighten my writing cave and my life in general.
I sincerely hope you have a group—or two or three—that helps you get through the lows and cheers with you during the highs of life. Happy Reading!
Molly Greeley
Between college, when I was lucky enough to have wonderful writing critique groups in several classes, and having my debut novel accepted by a major publisher in 2019, I desperately missed having close relationships with other writers. But in getting my manuscript accepted, I discovered a whole new writing community world, one that has been so incredibly supportive, welcoming, and helpful!
I was lucky enough to be able to attend the in-person Historical Novel Society conference in 2019, where I happened to be seated next to Elizabeth Blackwell (who has published several beautiful works of historical fiction - one of my favorites was WHILE BEAUTY SLEPT, a historical retelling of Sleeping Beauty). Elizabeth was incredibly kind and generous, and insisted I had to meet Finola Austin, whose debut BRONTË'S MISTRESS was coming out the following year. I ended up blurbing her book, and when my second book, THE HEIRESS, was slated for publication, Finola generously offered to read it for a blurb as well.
Laurel Ann Nattress, editor of JANE AUSTEN MADE ME DO IT, was kind enough to read my debut novel and suggest I connect with Natalie Jenner, whose own debut, THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY, was coming out shortly after mine. Natalie and I read, loved, and blurbed one another's books, and began a friendship that I am so thankful for. We've been reading each other's early drafts of books ever since, and her advice has proven to be invaluable (there's an entire subplot in my forthcoming third novel that wouldn't exist without her input!). She also invited me to join the 2020 Debuts, a group of debut writers whose first books were coming out in or very close to 2020. (I later invited Finola to join, too :) That group has been so lovely to have - for venting about the foibles of the publishing world, for raving about wins, for asking advice about everything from cover designs to marketing. I have never seen anything but love for one another and each other's work there. (Social media in general is a great way to connect with other writers - I've made many other writer friends on Instagram and Twitter, and though I haven't been lucky enough to meet them in "real life," their advice and the solidarity we provide one another has been no less valuable).
I also have a local friend, Rebecca Howe, who writes and illustrates picture books and middle-grade graphic novels. Although our audiences are very different, we've critiqued each other's books and spent many late nights texting back and forth about our work.
Writing is so often a solitary business; I'm grateful not to have to go it entirely alone.
Maggie Smith
My writing community centers around the Women's Fiction Writers Association. I'm the host for their podcast Hear Us Roar and as such, I get to meet a new debut author every week. All of them have such inspiring stories to tell and they all mention how they could never have written their book without the help, encouragement, advice, and camaraderie of their fellow writers. It seems whenever I need to get an answer to a question or a recommendation of where to turn, I can count on my writing community to respond with answers. And likewise, when I share a success, they are right there with me celebrating. In other words, they've got my back, no matter what.
Janet D Luongo
If it wasn't for my writing group and writing community, I would not have had my book published. I joined Write Yourself Free, led by a brilliant writer, a specialist in screen writing. who applied film techniques to fiction or non-fiction. The writers in the group of 6 were to listen to each other read our new work for 10 minutes, and respond with what they LIKED. Only the leader, Patrick McCord, could suggest changes, which he did, which also improved my piece. I then joined Fairfield County Writers Studio founded by Carol Dannhauser and Tess McGovern by offering editing, courses, and events with publishers, all with the purpose of creating a community of writers. My publisher, She Writes Press, is also a vibrant community of women writers. Brooke Warner offers educational webinars and a place to connect on Facebook. My publicist introduced me to the Instagram Influencers, and I was so glad to learn of the Hasty Book List community! I am now part of a local community led by Gabi Coatsworth, who encourages writers in our area - Fairfield County, Connecticut - to share our writing AND resources regarding writing & publishing. Gabi now has published her own book, and we all are glad to support her!
C. D'Angelo
I've gained endless benefits from the writing community, from the creation of writers groups to getting my first contract in a pitch party to connections that led to me being able to self-publish with confidence. Without the writing community, I would have never learned about certain resources, such as this blog, and also have gained advice from other authors. Everyone has unique talents and when we share them we can help each other shine. The connection with other writers has been what got me through some difficult days, and this business can be hard at times. Other writers are always there to lift one another up, share a post, or have positive words to keep going. I'm forever grateful to the friends I've made in the community.
Samantha Durbin
When I was writing my memoir, Raver Girl, I found all sorts of writer communities to inspire and hold me accountable. Some were through Meetup and social media, some I formed myself with any writer who also wanted support. One group was weekly at a local bagel shop after hours where we'd pay a small fee, get a glass of wine, and sit and write together followed by readings and discussion. You can find other writers everywhere, from all walks of life, and we can all learn from each other because we share the same insecurities and talents.
Leslie Johansen Nack
I have published my two books (Fourteen and The Blue Butterfly) with She Writes Press, a woman-owned and woman-focused hybrid publishing company. We call each other sisters and support each other on the road to publishing our books. We share resources and have zoom meetings, we gather in groups according to location and also according to genre. We take exclusive classes together and learn about our industry and about book marketing. I belong to the San Diego She Writes Press Sisters. I also belong to the Fiction Femme She Writes Press Sisters Spring 2022, and I belong to the bigger community on Facebook where we have a Secret group and we share all of our resources. We show up at events for each other and buy each other's books. It is truly a community of writers supporting each other. I'm very glad I published with She Writes Press - twice!
Mansi Shah
I’ve had such positive experiences with my debut sisters from my publishing house!
Wendy Terrien
We full-on believe a rising tide lifts all boats! I'm on the board of directors for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and the authors and friends I've met there are amazing and positive and supportive. The group has also evolved from "indie v traditional" to an inclusive "we are all writers" mentality which I love. I'd be delighted to share my experience.
Suzette D. Harrison
One of the hidden and biggest blessings for me as a writer is two-fold: 1) connecting with readers, 2) connecting with other authors. I have been truly blessed to make lasting, abiding connections with some of the most beautiful authors who've ever existed. I'm talking sisterhood kind of friendships that exceed writing collaborations or our mutual craft. Yes, we've written in series together; but when "the ink dries," our sisterhood survived. We not only support each other in our craft, but in life. We talk each other off the ledge, brainstorm, and do writing sprints. We send Christmas and birthday gifts; or simple "You've got this!" texts. I am forever grateful to the Creator for divinely connecting our paths. There are many and I don't want to name names for fear of missing someone, but my Lit Sis, you know who you are and your place in my heart. Thank you for walking this word world with me. Our bond began with books, but our hearts write the rest of our sisterhood song.
Jessica Strawser
There's only one rule, in my mind, for any successful author community: To show up for each other—literally or figuratively, however we can. While there's nothing like looking out at a bookstore crowd and seeing friendly faces, the importance of community was never clearer than during the pandemic, marooned at home.
As my deadline approached for my latest novel, THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, I didn't dare ask my usual go-to early readers for feedback on my draft: They were all fellow moms juggling remote schooling (as was I!). But two writer friends stepped up and volunteered generous, detailed feedback that was instrumental to my final revision—including my fellow Tall Poppy Writers member Sonja Yoerg (bestselling author of TRUE PLACES, who I'd never met before joining TWP online for—you guessed it!—community), and local friend (and THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS author) Katrina Kittle. Katrina and I began as writing-world acquaintances but quickly became true friends: Here she is (front left) at one of my book launches years ago, with me (front right) and some of our writers circle in the Cincinnati-Dayton area (historical fiction fans might recognize Jess Montgomery!).
THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW hit shelves in March—at its heart, a novel about how big of a difference every one of us can make in each other's lives. Thanks to my writing community, this isn't just fiction: It's the truth.
Katey Schultz
My closest author pals and I lift each other up through resource sharing, not resource hording. We edit each other's grant or contest submissions even as we "compete" for the same awards; we go on long walks and discuss hiccups and process, doubts and victories. We are human with one another, and in this, our writing and our community with one another is all the more human, as well.
Joy Callaway
The amazing thing about the writing community is that it's not exclusive! I've made so many wonderful friends over the years and continue to add enriching and valuable relationships to my community.
When I first started writing--a little over a decade ago--I was active on Twitter and in need of critique partners. I struck up a conversation with Sarah Henning, who was, at the time, also just starting. We started swapping query letters and chapters and before I knew it, we spoke nearly every day. Through Sarah, I met Renee Ahdieh, who actually lived close by and Alison Bliss and Cheyenne Campbell. In those days, we traded chapters and gave each other pep talks when deep in the query trenches. Although the days of emailing our books to each other, chapter by chapter, are mostly over, I know I can still count on these incredible women always and am so proud of all they've accomplished.
In 2017, on the eve of my debut novel, The Fifth Avenue Artists Society, being launched I was grafted into a sisterhood of genius authors who were local to Charlotte -- Marybeth Whalen, Kim Wright, and Erika Montgomery. Though, at the time, they didn't know me very well, these three women mentored me, encouraged me, and cheered me on as I launched my first book. Coincidentally, we all had novels coming out in the summer of 2017, so we decided to call ourselves Authors Out of Carolina and embark on an epic book tour. The memories from that tour are priceless. Sometimes we showed up to 150 people, sometimes we showed up to three. It didn't really matter. We were having fun and we had each other. These three women are not just friends to me, they're family.
Throughout my publishing journey, I've realized how generous and kind other authors are. Everyone is truly excited to help each other succeed. I have received blurbs and written blurbs, received wonderful reviews and written glowing reviews. I have been the recipient of hundreds of supportive posts on social media and hope that I've returned the favor. It would be impossible to list all of the authors (particularly, the historical fiction authors) that I deeply love and respect. I can't even count how many times one of them has endured my long winded chatting to talk through a plot point or talk me out of freaking out about something -- here's looking at you Erika Robuck, Brenda Janowitz, Kimberly Brock, Lauren Denton, and Jenni Walsh. :)
Writing is hard. Publishing is hard. Promoting yourself is hard. We all know this, and I think that's where the friendship comes in. We're all in a weird club that no one but us really understands. We're fighting to tell our stories, and because of that, we see the absolute necessity in supporting our fellow authors so they can tell theirs too.
Mandy McHugh
When I first started querying, I had no idea what I was doing. I researched online and read several books on agencies and manuscript polishing, but I was missing the personal connection to the writing community—and not in the “rubbing elbows” kind of way. I’m college and grad school, I had an ingrained group of peers I could rely on for constructive criticism, feedback, or to be sounding boards for ideas and questions.
So I joined Twitter.
It sounds strange, but Twitter was actually one of the best decisions I made in my writing career. I connected with so many amazing writers who were also in the query trenches. I found new authors I never would’ve been exposed to if it hadn’t been for their book recommendations—and let me tell you: some of the best books I’ve read have never made a best-of list or won awards.
That’s not to say I view all of the writing community through rose-colored glasses; there can be drama and negativity just like any other social media platform. But engaging in an environment of writers who want nothing more than to support you—have actively adopted this non-competitive mindset—is one of the most rewarding parts of the publishing process.
Alice Kaltman
I've only experienced inclusiveness, enthusiasm and support in my corner of the literary community. If I tracked each one of my books or stories back to the original source, I’d find that someone somewhere told me of an opportunity, led me to a publisher, or suggested a journal which ultimately led to the published work. While there can be a lot of chatter on social media regarding ridiculous book deals for celebrities, unfortunate acts of plagarism and other nastiness, I tend to steer clear of all discourse, nasty or otherwise. I want to keep my experience positive, and maybe that keeps me a bit like an ostrich with her head in the sand, but…oh well. Meanwhile, whether my head is in or out of the sand I’ve seen BIG star writers applauding lesser knowns, everyone sharing links and opportunities, offering advice and kindness. I’ve seen writers of all ilks rallying around a colleague who may be wondering about the futility of it all, the whole lot of us lifting that writer out of their funk. Maybe it is with words. Maybe it is with photos of our cats, dogs, or babies. Whatever the cure, being active in my little literary corner is a nice unpaid job, I’m happy to be part of it.
Maheen Mazhar
The idea of being true to your own unique voice when you write is one that strengthened in my writing seminars at NYU as I engaged with fellow writers. Every week in our writing seminars each student would share their writing and we had to do a workshop where we would sit in a circle and talk about something we really liked about the piece and something that needed work. This was an amazing way to not only encourage a writer on their strengths but also provide constructive criticism on what could be reworked or written even better in a piece. The support that everyone had for each other during the workshops was just amazing to see and the advice given by each student never felt like it was forced; it always meant something, and if more than two people had the same comment about what wasn’t working in my writing, that was a sure way to know what I needed to focus more on.
This helped me grow and identify my strengths as a writer but also my weaknesses. And weaknesses aren’t a bad thing—you need to be able to see your work from someone else’s eyes in order to better understand the reader perspective, and your writing community helps you achieve that. I learned that writing in fact is a community-based exercise where you need people to engage with and comment on your art for you to grow as an artist. To better strengthen and find your own unique voice as a writer you need that feedback from peers, colleagues, fellow writers, and your artist community. And the most beautiful part of such writing groups is that everyone is there with a common goal and passion, to express themselves and learn from each other how to better their own unique craft.
Being a part of seminars and writing classes, my fellow writers, classmates, and professors only strengthened my idea that, yes, writing needs to be unique and individual to each person. But it’s us as a community coming together, encouraging each other and helping each other that makes that unique voice in each writer stand out and become more powerful. Each time I revised a piece of writing after receiving advice and constructive criticism from my fellow peers, the next version of that piece always turned out better and much closer to what I wanted it to be in the first place. When it comes to any form of art, the community around you is what forms the foundation of you being a successful artist on your own. The saying definitely holds true in the world of writing: team work makes the dream work.
Lee Bukowski
As kids, we are taught “there’s no ‘I’ in team.” That’s all well and good—until we are adults jockeying for position in competitive careers. In boardrooms everywhere, professionally clad associates battle it out for top spots in corporations and businesses. In a world filled with “buy-my-product-not-his” and “use-my-services-not-hers,” the writing community emerges as the true embodiment of “team.”
Writing is a solitary endeavor. It takes tremendous discipline and determination to write a chapter, let alone a novel. When the last word is typed, the writer is nowhere near the finish line. Next comes beta readers, edits, revisions, more edits, more revisions, and a final proofread. Then it’s time for the grueling process of finding representation for the novel. By the time authors reach that stage, they are often whimpering and curled up in the fetal position. Just when authors feel lost at sea, the writing community is there to throw them a life preserver.
I spent eighteen months writing, editing, and revising my debut women’s fiction novel, A Week of Warm Weather. Many were the moments I second-guessed my decision to leave my English teaching position to pursue a career in writing. Self-doubt threatened to derail me. Then something happened that restored my confidence and buoyed my attitude: I joined the writing community. I began connecting with other debut authors. They were the beacon of hope that kept me going. They had all the same concerns and doubts that I had. Sure, we had different backgrounds and paths that led to a career in writing, but they were just like me.
The beauty of being an author is that our “clients”—our readers—motivate us and provide constant and ongoing inspiration. You see, as an avid reader myself, here’s something I know for sure: I’ll never stop buying books. I’ll never wake up one morning and say, “That’s it. I’ve read enough. I’m done.” It’s never going to happen. That’s why in the writing community, there is no such thing as “buy-my-book-not-hers.” There is no competition with other authors; there is only support, encouragement, and empathy. We all want everyone to read all our books.
I found myself in a world I didn’t know existed. SparkPress, my publisher, is a community-oriented team that lifts up all its writers and believes women don’t let women write alone. I’ve connected with authors who champion me. They offer advice. They post about my upcoming debut on their social media sites. Several offered to read and review my book before it launches. I’m also honored to read and review their books, and their work inspires me to keep writing. Valerie Taylor, Leslie Rasmussen, Meg Nocero, and Suzanne Simonetti are just a few of the strong, accomplished, generous female writers I’ve had the good fortune to get to know. They’ve taught me much, especially that a rising tide really does lift all boats.
Diane Cohen Schneider
Spoiler alert! Books are not the work of one person. My novel- and yes, I'm going to say - all books-- are the product of a village of aid and support. The joy of typing "the end" and sending your creation out into the world is wonderful but the real fun is meeting and getting to know other authors. The experience can be as intense as a weeklong workshop on the coast of Maine or as casual as a text saying "help, I need a name for my latest character."
Advice from a friend is risky. If they say nice things, you discount them because they are your friends. And it hurts more if they criticize. (Note: this goes double for spouses!) But both praise and criticism from fellow writers is always helpful even when they're telling you something you don't want to hear. They've been there. They get writer jokes. My best advice to new writers is find a community you can meet with, zoom with, learn with, and celebrate with. Shout out to Bill, Karen, Barbara, Donaldson, Margaret, Kristen, Jen, Ken, Beth, Sandy, Jimin, Pat, all the members of the Womens Fiction Writers Association and my sisters at She Writes Press! My novel will be out August 30th because of their invaluable presence in my writing life.
Linda Murphy Marshall
At the beginning of the pandemic, two MFA friends, Jennifer Friedman Lang and Megan Vered Thygeson, started a writing group (via ZOOM) called Writers Near and Far. The writers live all over the world: Israel, England, and all over the continental U.S. Each week we gather and take turns reading short pieces (one page), inspired by a prompt they provide. At least six of my pieces from this workshop have been published, and I know it's true for many others, including the publication of books in some cases. It's a nurturing and inspiring environment.
Randi Triant
True confession: I never would’ve finished my latest novel, What We Give, What We Take, if I hadn’t been in a Boston writers group. All six of us had become friends during graduate school in Bennington, Vermont. After we graduated, the giddiness and relief of having our MFAs in hand wore off. Now what? Without the structured workshops at Bennington College, we quickly formed our own writers group, meeting monthly for several years. Although we alternated each month whose work we read and offered feedback on, I fear I deluged the group with chapter draft after chapter draft of “the beast”—what I somewhat fondly called my manuscript in my head. Yet, none of the group ever threw up their hands, exclaiming, “Not again!” What’s more, each of them gave me advice and comments that inspired me to do better the next revision. To keep at it. How could I not when I read their remarkable work? Alden Jones, Ricco Villanueva Siasoco, Andrea Graham, Sarah Anne Johnson, Oona Patrick. Now, every time I read their new published work it rouses me from any lethargic reluctance to sit at my own desk. Although we no longer meet, they’re still very much in the room with me. Still saying, get on with it. We have.
