Writing Doesn't Have to Be Solitary
Community Is Key to Growth as a Writer
A day short of seven years ago, I started a journal I aptly named “Gripes.” I started the journal in a desperate attempt to get some writing done. Any writing was better than no writing, so I used it as a place to write streams of consciousness. The first entry begins as thus:
I’ve always had trouble with consistency when it comes to my writing. When I begin to write, I will have a burning thought in my mind that occupies all of my thoughts that day. It could be an idea for a story, a critique of a film or television show, that gets me fired up and ready at the keyboard. I’ll begin typing, sort of like this, with vigor and enthusiasm until something strange yet familiar happens: I’ll stop. Even with the idea still weighing on my brain, I can no longer (metaphorically, of course) put pen to paper.
At that time I was trying to write while living with my mother and sister in the apartment where I grew up. I was also working a job that paid no money (AmeriCorps is a scam). Worst yet, most of the people I knew growing up had either left the city or passed away, so I was left to build much of my in-person community from scratch. I named all these things as obstacles in one way or another in that entry, but I decided to take out my frustrations on myself. I wrote about wasting my time, not having discipline, and not having worked hard enough to overcome my challenges. When I wracked my brain for solutions, most of them involved me pushing past my emotions and personal needs. They all failed miserably.
There was one solution I came up with that turned out to be clairvoyant: finding a writing group. And I did find one, but it met on the opposite side of the city.
On Mondays, at 7PM.
That just wasn’t feasible at the time, and I doubt it ever will. It would not be until the pandemic that I would join that very same writing group when it went virtual. After joining, I realized just how much I needed to be a part of a community where I could share experiences and resources. Though I was writing only what I could write, that didn’t mean that it had to be a solitary exercise. Once I found a supportive community, it became easier to overcome the challenges I faced.
It also can’t be understated how moving out and living on my own helped my progress. I had long outgrown the apartment we had moved into when I was eight-years-old. I needed to be somewhere I could grow into, like a plant needing to be repotted. I love my family dearly, but that place was not big enough for all of us, let alone big enough for me to grow. Even living in small apartments, I had the plenty of room to use the space as I saw fit.
With it being the start of National Novel Writing Month, I encourage any writer to join a writing community. Find a local one if you can, but there are virtual writing groups you can find in places like Meetup.com. There’s also a Reddit post made earlier this year cataloging a list of writing communities and tools to help writers.
As for space to write, try what you can to find a place that is right for you. And if those places are out of reach, someone in your community can help get you there. Surrounding yourself with the right people will provide the support you need and give you greater opportunity for success.
Whenever I come back to the first entry of my journal, I’m always reassured that I was a writer long before I had a clear idea of how to be one. I just needed the right people and the right environment to develop into who I am today and into who I will be tomorrow.