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Writers and writing communities really go hand in hand, which is why I am so excited to share this guest post with you. I've had the pleasure of working with Kaytlin Phillips on various projects, and she's such a joy to interact with.
I used to be under the impression that writing was a solo venture. One where you locked yourself away in your room for hours and typed away as fast as you could to complete that big project. But…
That’s a lie.
You may (or may not) be surprised to learn that writing is not a solo mission. Writing is a community project. In fact, community is key to writing.
If you’ve not been writing for very long, you probably rolled your eyes. I know I would have to if you had told me that when I first started writing. See, I didn’t think I needed anyone else in order to write good stories. I thought I could do just fine on my own and that no one else would understand the struggles I was facing as a writer, so why bother?
Then two years passed, and I was struggling. My writing was horrible, my initial ‘I can do this’ attitude was gone, and all I had was a manuscript I felt a five-year-old could have written. I was ready to give up and throw in the towel, and I did for a time.
I stopped writing on my own projects. My sisters and I wrote together some, not as much as we used to, and I just read a lot of books.
Yes, I am writing now. Do you know what got me writing again?
If you said community, you would be correct!
My sisters and I met our dear friends Abbi and Saraina through an online fan club for The Green Ember Series by S. D. Smith. I got back into writing, talking to them about it, writing fanfics, and overall becoming involved with other writers. Having other writers telling me that what I’d written was good, having people waiting for that next fanfic chapter and being excited about it. I had a community of people who were backing me.
Then I learned about writing communities and searched for one to join, only to come up empty (which is where the idea my writing community Writers’ Vision first took root). I put off starting my own community for a year because I didn’t think anyone else would be interested. Didn’t think that anyone would want what I wanted…turns out I was wrong.
The day I started Writer’s Vision, we had around 15 members within the first 24 hours! Because there were writers just like me looking for a community of like-minded God-centered writers. Writers who were serious about their writing.
See, a community for writers isn’t just hanging out together, even though that’s what a lot of communities become. It’s growing, learning, and encouraging each other. A community for writers is a place where we can express our doubts and fears, hopes and dreams to people who understand. People who get it!
Community keeps us from feeling alone, from throwing in the towel because we don’t think anyone cares. It keeps us from quitting. Only one percent of writers make it, and do you know why? Because ninety-nine percent quit. They think no one cares to read what they’ve written, and they quit. They give in, and that is why they fail.
I’m sure some of that percent is people who did try to publish and such for a while and then decided it was too hard. A community helps you remember why you started writing, why you write now. It’s a place to keep you grounded when those rejections build up, or writer's block hits, or that friend doesn’t like your story.
Community is important because it’s a place to vent and a place to be you. Whether that's the crazy trying-to-keep-it-together writer or the chill writer that just wishes someone understood what POV was…lol…
Community is something we were made for, something we crave, no matter how introverted we are. Community is important because we are made for connections.
Plus, how can we know if we’re good at writing or even grow as writers if we are always holed up in our room?
We have to get out, live, learn, and engage with others because we are made for community!
About the Author
Kaytlin Phillips is a homeschool grad who spends her days praising her Savior, reading, writing, blogging, and annoying her sisters with random thoughts. She is the fifth child out of seven and resides in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
She is the founder of Writers' Vision: A Christian Creative Community and heartily believes in the power of stories.
When not writing or reading, you can find Kayti (as everyone calls her) hiking or occasionally playing her Appalachian Dulcimer.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did.
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