Community: The Lifeblood for Writers

Too often writing is depicted as a lonely art. How many times have you heard the tale of a man living far away locked up in his cabin smoking a pipe and writing his books? (Okay, maybe minus the pipe. You get my point.) But it doesn’t have to be that way.

In this day and age, you can find nearly anything on the Internet. Including writer communities. Boom. Suddenly you’re not so lonely.

When I was around thirteen I joined my first online writing community. This was the first time I’d had the chance to talk with other writers and it was incredible! For the first time I got feedback on my writing and people other than my family actually enjoyed what I wrote. We challenged one another to write more and, in turn, I grew as a writer.

However, this group eventually fizzled out and I was left on my own again. And my writing paid the price. I wrote off and on for the next few years but was never really motivated.

Then, the first Crazy Writing Week took place hosted by the founders of The Young Writers Workshop. I joined without hesitation, and for that one crazy, roller coaster ride of a week I was in writing bliss. I wrote with other writers every single day and I made lots of friends. We encouraged one another and, in turn, our writing flew out the roof. But you can probably guess what happened next.

The week ended. And so did my motivation.

At the time I was not a disciplined enough writer to keep going even when my motivation was dry. I was floundering and unsure where I was headed. I didn’t know how to be a consistent writer on my own.

But then, only a few short months later, The King’s Daughters’ Writing Camp had their first camp and I joined. Let me just say, the community there was unlike anything I had joined before. The encouragement, the fellowship, and the constant writing sprints were all exactly what I needed at that stage of my writing journey. It was through camp that I started learning more about the art of storytelling and what it means to be truly consistent—as well as how to become more consistent.

I met amazing friends! Writer friends that would goof off, be crazy, or be encouraging whenever I needed. We could talk about writer things and help each other grow. They were my encouragement to carry on through the hard days.

When I finished a project, I was amazed by the sheer joy everyone on camp showed me. I’ve joined every camp since and have found the same amazing community there every single time. (If you’ve never joined, I can’t recommend it enough.)

This is why I say community is the lifeblood for writers. It’s why I feel it’s so important! And it’s also why I would like to announce that The King’s Daughters’ Writing Camp will be hosting another camp in July. You can find all the information you’ll need below.

http://kingsdaughterswritingcamp.com/welcome-center-2/

I know how much camp has helped me grow so I hope all of you will join as well. Comment below and let me know if you plan to. I hope to see you there!

Your turn!

Have you ever been a part of a writer community? Are you currently a part of one? Do you see the benefits community brings?

Blessings, Allyson

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