Join the Force....

You have an idea that keeps plaguing your mind. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a sentence or two, a scene that plays out like a movie, or an entire world created in one of those shower thoughts—it’s the beginning of your journey.

So, you wrote down your idea, and yet, it’s not fitting into what you thought would be your story. So now what?

Have you considered joining a writing community?

When I first started out, I was lost with my idea. I didn’t know how to begin, what a storyboard was, or that books were planned out. I also worried constantly that my story idea was terrible, and that everyone would think it was stupid. This fear made me stop writing, and I didn’t want to pick up my pen again... until I joined a writing community.

I’ve been part of a writing community for two years now, and the ideas from this group have been fantastic. I’ve started to learn more about writing and developed my own style through this community.

Our members come from all walks of life and have different writing styles—everything from young adult, fantasy, sci-fi, rom-com, and yes, even smut! While our story ideas are varied, the process of turning our ideas into books has a lot in common.

In our community, we have both indie and traditional authors who share the paths they took and the reasons why. We even have an author who chose a hybrid publishing path. It’s fascinating to hear her story.

As a community, we support each member throughout their writing journey and beyond. Here are some of the ways we help each other:

- Reading each other's work: This might feel scary, as you’re not sure how others will react to your writing. But take a deep breath and let your community read it. You’ll be surprised by their feedback. They might like your story, but they’ll also provide useful pointers—where the story lacks detail or needs more information, or if you keep repeating the same word. They may even suggest moving scenes, like having two main characters meet in chapter one instead of chapter four.

- Planning your story: You have an idea and wrote down as much as you could, but how do you connect this to that? Your writing community can help you plan your story with storyboards and inspiring ideas. Sometimes their input sparks something in your mind that takes your story in a new direction.

- What’s next: Some people in your community have published their books. It’s helpful to listen to their experiences and consider if that’s the path you want to take. These members have achieved what you aim to do, so pick their brains to learn what you might need to do when you’re ready to publish.

- Friendship: I’m surprised by the connections I’ve made in my community. I feel blessed to have found new friends through writing.

So, what do you need to do to find your community?

Look it up!

Google them, search on Meetup.com, visit the local library, or ask around. Many online writing communities also offer webinars and guest speakers from the industry to share tips, tricks, and insights on what literary agents are looking for.

You’ll be surprised by how much you learn about writing from your community.

Until next time…