From Writerslife.org:
While writing can be a solitary challenge at times, building a network of writer friends can be invaluable. Making connections and forming relationships with fellow authors can provide you with vast amounts of support, advice, and camaraderie.
Of course, reaching out to your fellow writes can seem daunting, especially if you are new to the process, or you are feeling less than confident about your work. You might worry about what you can offer in such circles or imagine being scorned or rejected or that you'll be uncovered as the 'imposter' you are.
Making a group of writer friends does take time and effort, but by integrating yourself as part of the writing community, everything from your confidence to your competence can benefit.
So how do you start to reach out?
Join a Facebook group
There are tons of great Facebook groups out there that are aimed at connecting writers together and sharing knowledge tips and advice. These groups are generally friendly and welcome writers from all walks of life and at all stages in their writing career. You can also find groups of ones specific to your genre. Each group has its own 'rules', and usually blatant self-promotion isn't allowed, but you can ask advice, share funny stories, get support and generally connect and communicate with likeminded people.
Do some gentle stalking
The beauty of the internet means there are countless ways to connect with fellow writers. If there is a particular author you would like to meet or know more about, then you can usually find their website or connect with them on social media. By linking and sharing their work and commenting thoughtfully on their posts, you can slowly build a relationship with them, and hopefully, they will start to reciprocate.
Take a writing class
A writing class can help hone and improve your writing skills, will ensure that you write regularly and will allow you to meet writers who are likely to be at the same sort of level and stage as you.
Join a writing group
A writing group, be that virtual or local, could be a great way to help boost your writing confidence, get feedback on your work, and share ideas and inspiration for future projects. Writing groups are usually welcoming, friendly spaces where writers have rules about how to critique one another's work and are mostly hugely supportive and encouraging - though will offer constructive and impartial feedback when asked!
Go to a writing conference
While writing conference can be exhausting as it's a lot of networking with a lot of people, they are a fantastic way to make connections with all sorts of people from the writing world. So if you need some advice on your manuscript, are looking for an agent or publisher or want to learn some top trade secrets, a writing conference would be the place to go!
Go on a writing retreat
A writing retreat may be an expensive way to make writing buddies, but it can help you to form deep connections with your fellow writers, as well as really make some progress on your latest project, all usually in beautiful surroundings with great food, drink, and company!
So if you are feeling a little lonely, or just want to benefit from forming a network of writer friends, try the above and reap the benefits and positives that having writer friends can bring!
So far the one that I've enjoyed the most is the writers' lab in my town. Next week is our last meeting of this year. The meetings resume in September. Our leader has talked about possibly meeting elsewhere during the summer, but nothing is for sure yet. I'm glad to have found the group, as I was not sure if I'd ever meet any other writers in my town, except for those who attend the mental health center with me whoa re also working on writing.
As for the other options, I have joined some writing groups on Facebook, but have found myself posting less of ten than other members. I guess I prefer seeing and talking to others in person as far as writing goes. Aside from the memoir writing class I took at a community college two summers ago, I have not been able to find any writing classes at the college except those online. As much as I think these such classes may help and be fun, they are expensive and again, I like the idea of doing such a thing in person.
And as much as I would like to get to a writers' conference or retreat, finance is the one thing stopping me. Such venues often cost hundreds of dollars.
So for now, I'm glad to have found the writers' lab in my town. I'll miss them over the summer, but am still glad to have them as an option.
