What the Fran

Ideal writing communities

Something that comes up a lot in fiction writer circles is finding community. Beta readers, critique partners, writing groups. I'm very lucky in these regards! There is however a little niche missing.

I have an excellent beta reader and feedback partner. At least she would be if I ever gave her anything to beta because I tend to post about ten minutes after I finish writing. Betaing for her has improved my craft, that is certainly true. As well as got me into some wild new fandoms. She is a phenomenal writer and I would gush for the whole post!

I go to a monthly writing group locally. We set a theme each time, sometimes we write in the session, we can read stuff out if we like. Mostly it's a writer's support group for people who want to write but aren't. Which is a really important function. It's where I first read my work aloud, sharing my original work at all. I love it, I love them, but we don't really Do Stuff.

Our numbers there have dwindled a bit, which I don't understand. I love the little core of us who go and in a way I don't want that to change. But also I do because it's a fun thing and it's something people seem to say they want - more community, more creativity. And it's two hours a month! Just come! We have biscuits!

I've also got an unhinged ideal writer collective idea. I'm not saying this doesn't exist. I'm sure it does. Hopefully a lot. But part of the ideal is these things forming organically among like-minded people who know one another.

Just a bunch of people who like to get together and make stuff, edit each other's work. Maybe someone does some graphic design, someone runs a website. If we all did a little subscription we could crowdsource someone's printing costs every so often, taking it in turns. Go to book fairs and zine fairs and sell each other's stuff. It's like a writing group but with Doing Stuff added on.

One of the rubs is, frankly, me. A lot of writer groups align on genre or skill level. The more serious one in my city you have to submit pages to in order to apply to join, like an audition. There's another scifi one and although I do technically write a lot of scifi I think mine's scifi in the sense that romantasy is fantasy. I should start a romanscifi club. I don't think the bros at the scifi club want to hear about ladies kissing just because they occasionally use a time machine.

So the alignment I'm interested in is more of attitude. I love my local writing group but I am reconciled to them not wanting to Do Stuff. My phenomenal writer friend outpaces me in every area.

Some further ideas if people are looking for writing communities...

As with most things it'll be hit and miss. People will say they will read, and they won't. We worry about being ripped to shreds by a betareader but most likely they will say "yeah it was good", which is about as helpful. Got to kiss a few frogs probably before you find that alignment on skill / output / attitude.

That being said, if anyone is looking for an enthusiastic betareader or feedback partner I am right here. Let's talk stories. I probably won't ever ask for a return of the favour, me with my thirty-seven wips.

Mentioned in little literary thoughts and I originally wrote a bunch about this in my thinking about community post and then cut it out. Filed in my community notes.