  Short Stories
This week: Finding Your Community Edited by: Jay's debut novel is out now!  
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Finding Your Community
On Writing.Com and elsewhere, it can be necessary -- and genuinely helpful -- to find a social niche for your writing.
What are some of the best and worst writing group moments you've had? |
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Writing is an inherently solitary endeavor. We join networks like Writing.Com because human interaction genuinely helps the writing process.
Social networks like Twitter can provide a water-cooler type atmosphere for catching up with writers on all levels of writing work. While it can be really daunting to see big-name authors just talking out in the wild, it can be reassuring to see them having the same issues we all have-- unruly plots, characters that just won't quit, stubborn paragraphs that won't just sit back and let them edit... you get the idea.  It can also be daunting sheerly because it feels a bit like shouting into the void-- and on some levels, that's more or less what social networks are.
Groups on Writing.Com can be great for morale, and help foster a sense of a community where we come from all walks of life but have one thing in common: we really like to read and write. It should, in theory, be easy to find the right level of support in one place, but in practice, I've found that I have to skip around a bit, myself.
The important thing is to figure out what you actually need from a group of your peers-- and what you have to offer in turn. It can be hard to find a niche, but don't let the difficulty deter you. It may even be that you need more than one group of individuals, which is where Writing.Com really shines. There are so many different things to do with different groups on here that with some effort it should be smooth sailing.
One other thought, though-- make sure that your urge to socialize doesn't overwhelm your urge to write! We all have times where we need to recharge our social batteries, so don't forget to do that on occasion, too. Above all, my suggestion is to find friends and peers who like and appreciate your writing-- but also really push you to make it the best you can and consistently challenge you to improve. This can be hard, because it's definitely easier to just tell our friends the fun parts about their work without getting into the things that need improving, so building a rapport with a supportive group of people is really important.
Until Next Time,
Take care and Write on!
~jay |
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Feedback from "Repetition, Repetition, Repetition" !
Joto-Kai  writes:
Oh, my heavens what is that? I read Swirsky's story. I am... in tears. Amadeus. How did you write such a thing?
She really is a master of the craft and I really admire her work!
Callie hears Angels these days  writes:
What a thrill to see you mention "Mignoniette's Garden" in your brilliant newsletter
I love patterns in stories
sincerely, Callie
Thanks, Callie! I really enjoyed your story.
scooter writes:
i am not sure if this counts as repetition, but i keep finding myself looking for different ways to say "furrowed his/her brows". i guess maybe i just need to make my characters less annoyed at each other all the time!
Totally counts-- I know what you mean. Sometimes that type of repetition is a sign that you are relying too much on one type of sensory cue in your writing-- in this case, a visual cue. Try using other senses to show the character's expression or feelings. |
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Short Stories: March 30, 2016 Issue [#7563]
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