214: Building Your Writing Community

 

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Building Your Writing Community

 

Welcome to our first episode of 2026. This episode will come out in the beginning of January. I hope you had a fantastic New Year's whenever you're listening to this. I'm excited to kick off another year of the pod. Yay. So before we get into this, the content for this episode, I recorded a, we did a podcast episode a couple of weeks ago. that was about AI, where it was a temple of AI episode, and I yelled at you about like AI and why I don't think you should use it, generative AI, at least. I do make a distinction there between non-generative and generative AI. And in that episode, I talked about like, I get comments from writers sometimes when I talk about not supporting, wanting to support generative AI in the creative process who are like, well, I don't know any writers, so I have to use it. And all of the content, everything we're going to talk about in this episode is a non-AI solution because that's not, I don't want to support AI. I don't want to support people having relationships with chatbots. I don't want to support writers getting all of their quote unquote needs met from a computer, a machine. Like I don't want to support that at all, including in the writing process. I think going forward in as AI gets more and more prevalent, we get used to it, becomes normalized. Like It's going to be the easy route to use AI to get emotional fulfillment or validation or to feel like you're having a relationship of some kind, I suppose. And I, we're not doing that.

We're not taking the easy rd. We're not taking the easy way out. It's going to be even more important in the future to prioritize those relationships. And I'm not even necessarily talking about in-person friendships or relationships, although that's great if you live in an area where you can connect with other writers and like meet up with them. That's awesome. But if that's not you, then that's okay. I will still give you options this week. Almost all of them can be for you if you live somewhere where there just aren't a lot of writers and you can't really meet people in person, that's fine. So I just want to throw that out there right now. Okay, I feel like I've been talking a lot already today. I'm recording this in December and I'm doing a Vlogmas challenge that I set for myself on my other account, the Katie Wolf on TikTok and Instagram. Vlogmas, I don't know if y'all have seen Vlogmas on TikTok or Instagram. I think it started on YouTube. And it was meant to be like 25 days of holiday related fun stuff. And you do vlogs that show you doing all these holiday activities. And it's kind of grown and expanded beyond the original purpose. And what I'm doing with it is I'm challenging myself to do a vlog a day for 25 days to learn vlogs because I'm not very good at them. I like watching other people's vlogs. I want to get good at creating vlogs. And so I'm just like trying.

I'm just giving myself permission to practice with it. And anyways, I've recorded like 4 pieces of content already today and done a vlog. And I just feel like I've been talking to the camera so much. But anyways, that was a bit of an aside. So if you aren't following the Katie Wolf, That used to be my handle, but it's like, yeah, it's changed. Sorry if it's confusing. But the Katie Wolf is like my personal account slash my author account where I do talk a bit about writing in my own book, but not a ton because I don't have a book yet that is available that people can buy. So I'm not really spending a ton of time marketing a book yet. But then all the business content and the podcast stuff lives on Katie Wolf Writes on Instagram and TikTok and YouTube. So let me, let's go ahead and get into the tips for this episode.

Okay, so non-AI, non-ChatGPT, an actual writing community, how to build that. So #1 is to take writing classes or workshops in person or online. If you have a local literary center, if you have a college that does continuing ed classes, if you have a bookstore that puts on writing classes, anything like that, this is a great thing to take advantage of. I cannot tell you that, I mean, I think 90% of the writers I know have come from meeting them this way. It's a fantastic way to do it. And the great thing about a lot of these literary centers is the workshops are pretty affordable. Like I did a draft chat, which is something that I've talked about before on this podcast, which is like a critique group I did at a writing center, and it was 10 bucks to drop in and do that. And then a writing, like an actual workshop where you spend an hour two hours or three hours, one time a week. Some of them were like 50 bucks. I mean, it's not, it's not much. So, and then of course, there's also longer ones. Like I did a personal essay class that met, I don't know, for four or six weeks. So there are different options to fit different budgets with this. I'm not saying you have to go get an MFA. I'm just saying. There are tons of options. But if you don't have a local literary center, you can take writing classes online. And you can take the kind of writing class where people, I forget what it's called, asynchronous or synchronous, but you meet at the same time every week.

So you actually get to interact with the people in the workshop. It's not like it's pre-recorded and then you just watch it on your own. There are writing classes where it's like, yeah, learn to write learn to do this thing related to writing and you meet for Saturday on Saturday afternoons for an hour for four weeks and everyone meets at the same time together. There's discussion, there's critique maybe. So that's a fantastic way to get to know writers. Number 2, author signings or book events. If you have a bookstore in your city, please take advantage of that. Oftentimes they're free. Sometimes they're not if it's a bigger author and they want to sell like a ticket to it where the author is giving a talk or something. But literary festivals, book signings, all that's great. I have lived in a number of different cities where they've had fantastic bookstores, fantastic authors come through. I mean, even So I live in Charleston, South Carolina right now, which is like a mid-sized city. I mean, it's not, New York or DC or LA, but we have some great local bookstores and we have literary festivals that come here. There's Y'all Fest. What does it stand for? I'm gonna get it wrong. Young Adult. I'm Googling Y'all Fest Charleston. Okay, Charleston's Young Adult Book Festival. Maybe y'all doesn't stand for anything. Anyways, it happens in November. There's also the Charleston Literary Festival. So there's events that happen here that are, they get some pretty big name authors, even though we're not that big of a city.

So definitely check that out. I have met people at author signings and book events, particularly when I lived in Nashville, because I would go to Parnassus Books, that's Anne Patchett's bookstore. I miss that so much. But this was also a good opportunity. Like when I was making writing friends at, a couple of writing friends at these writing classes that I would go to, in that awkward stage when you're like becoming friends with someone, but, and it's like, you kind of take turns asking each other out. You're like, hey, want to go get coffee? And then you get coffee and then the other person will be like, hey, want to do a writing session? And then you'll be like, hey, want to go do this thing? I did a couple times. I texted people who I was just getting to know, like my friend Kim, for example, I think of her. And I was like, hey, so-and-so is speaking at pronounces. Do you want to go with me? And we went to hear so-and-so talk. We did that with Elizabeth McCracken and one other author. I can't think of who it was. Oh, Mary, Mary Laura, Mary Laura Philpott. Mary Laura. Yes, Mary Laura Philpott. I just had a mind, my mind went blank. So anyways, just as some examples. Social media. This sounds so obvious, but I want to talk about my experience with this and how I've met writers. Because they can feel like people are like, yeah, just use social media to meet writers. And it's like, well, what does that mean? Like, how? This is where I'm going to hold your hand when I say this. You have to put in the work, just like you would in person, in friendships or in dating. It just takes time and it takes some awkwardness.

And it's just one of those things. I mean, you can, if someone is creating content, obviously like this is how you find people, but you can also find people in comment sections. I've seen videos that different authors have, different writers have created that's like, hey, beta reading is really important to me. I've had a lot of good experiences with my beta readers. So I'm going to create this post. If you're looking for a beta reader, comment below. And then people will engage and be like, hey, I'm looking for a beta reader. This is what I write. this is what I'm looking for feedback on. So that's a way that you can get connected with people, even if you're not necessarily creating content yourself. But I do want to encourage you, if you are a new author who doesn't have a book published yet, this is your chance. This is your time to get comfortable with beginning to post on social media. You do not have to post every day. You do not have to be on TikTok and YouTube and Instagram and Axe and all the things. But This is a chance to just play around and try it and get comfortable with it. So that by the time you actually do have a book to promote and a book that's published, you have some followers and you are comfortable posting on social media. And that goes for you too, if you're just, if you have some social media accounts where you just post for family and friends. So this is your invitation to start creating content if you haven't already.

But when I think about the friends, the author friends that I've made online, It started because they have commented or DMed me about something that I've posted. I've followed them back or vice versa. One friend I can think of who we actually, we started DMing a lot on TikTok and then we got each other's phone number and now we text occasionally. She posted something that I was like, oh my gosh, I've been through the same experience. And then I messaged her and started following her and like we started chatting that way. So People, I think we underestimate how much other people are looking for these, this community as well. If you don't have any writer friends, if you don't have a writing community, if you don't have beta readers and you're looking for those things and you're desperate for that, so are like thousands of writers. All of us are looking for that in the beginning Because most people, when they start writing, don't have a community. They don't know fellow writers. Not all. Some people have a group already, or at least one friend already who writes. But yeah, a lot of us just, we don't have that. I can share too, one of my... clients, one of my editing clients who I've worked with for, I don't know, at least four books at this point, maybe more. She posted back a couple of years ago after we finished working together on the first book. It was her debut. It was published. It was so exciting.

And she lived in Florida and she posted about working with me. And then one of my other clients saw it and was like, I'm also in Florida. And they got to chatting. And then one of these authors was having a book signing and the other one came to meet her in person because they live like an hour or two away. And they took a picture and sent it to me. And we're like, look, we got connected because of you. And it's because of me, but it's also because of social media. Like they happen to see, oh, we both share the same editor. That's so cool. Then they got to chatting and now they're good friends. And I see them like posting videos together all the time. It's like the coolest thing to see. So you just never know. You just never know who you're going to click with. Again, it is kind of like establishing friendships in real life. Offline, I mean, I hate saying in real life because social media can be real life too, but you know what I mean, like offline. Where you have to go through some duds and maybe you don't click with people, but you're going to find your people. You just have to do the work and you have to engage and post and have a sense of curiosity about people and yeah.

The next thing I'll say is professional associations or conferences. I have gone to, I think I've only been to one writing conference actually. and it was a mixed bag for me, the actual conference, but it was cool to talk with other writers. I kept up with one woman from that conference for a bit. We kind of lost touch. We don't, I'm not sure what's going on with her now. We don't really, we haven't, we didn't really keep in touch because that was in 2019, I want to say, that I attended that conference. But yeah, I just was asked to submit a proposal to speak at the contemporary, oh, what is it, contemporary romance. Writers Association or something. Let me get the exact name of it. Contemporary romance writers to submit a proposal to talk and like to teach their writers something. So there are genre specific organizations that you can belong to where you can meet writers who are writing in your genre, which is really cool. I would love to do that for thrillers. I have one friend in Charleston who writes suspense, thrillers, kind of, which is great. It's like a historical suspense, her novel. It's out on submission right now, which is really cool. And we met through a friend of a, we have a mutual friend in common who's not a writer, but she's been my friend forever.

And this other, my new writer friend went on a yoga retreat with her and then we got connected. So yeah. But anyways, I don't know any other thriller writers, and I think it'd be really cool. So maybe actually, and I'm talking this out now, maybe this is something I should look at joining as a professional organization to look at, to like be in community with other thriller writers, because it's just kind of fun. It's kind of fun to be. talking about genre-specific things with authors who know exactly what you're talking about. And that's not necessary, though. I mean, one of my good friends, Kim, in Nashville, she was a great writer friend for me, and she wrote nonfiction. So it doesn't necessarily have to be genre-specific, but there is something cool about having that, too. Okay, my next My next tip is, my last tip is just sort of like a note. I don't really have any specific recommendations for you, but I know that there are online communities, like Reddit threads or Discord groups or organizations, not organizations, that's not the right word, but like, yeah, just like online communities, like Facebook groups or that are for writers. So that's always an option to check out as well. Like you can literally just Google to see, hey, is there a, you know, local writers group that I could look at that's online? Is there a Discord group of like debut authors publishing their first book in 2026 that I could join? So just do some research, do some Googling, see what you can find, even put some stuff in onto social media. You know, like you could do a search on TikTok just to see.

And obviously you have to vet everything. And going back to what I said probably multiple times in this episode, it might take some duds or some not great fits. but that's okay, just part of it. And again, I want us to prioritize this for 2026 and beyond if you don't have this already, because it's so important. I have found being in community with people who are in a similar phase of life or have a similar interest or are experiencing a similar struggle, whatever it is, has been so helpful for me throughout my life. And it also leads me to have a very diverse group of people that I know because, and it's not to, This might sound weird, but it's not to distill them down into the one thing that we share in common. Like I have mom friends and it's not like they're just mom friends and that's the only reason I relate to them and the only reason I talk to them. But if you're a parent, you probably will know what I'm saying, that it is helpful. It's so helpful, especially if you are a new parent. Oh my God, to have Parents who are in that similar stage of life when it's like chaotic and you're trying to get your bearings with a new baby.

Oh my God, I found that so valuable. I joined a mom's group and there were like eight of us in the group. And there are three of us that are still friends to this day that get together two years later. So we all have Our kids are within three weeks of each other. Like they were born within a three week span. So they're hitting all the milestones together. We celebrated birthdays together and it's been really cool to see that. And that was so valuable. But the same thing is true of writers. It just helps. I think it can be helpful too, like, of course, to talk about writing with people who aren't writers. I talked to Sam about writing, my husband. He's not a writer, but he understands creativity. He understands this because I've talked about it so much with him. And he also understands that this is just a big part of who I am, and it's something I want to talk to him about. So I do talk about it with him, but, you know, it's just, it just hits different when it's a fellow writer. So, Okay, those are my suggestions for building a writing community. This can be challenging, but it's so worth it. And it's kind of like going back to what I said in that AI episode a couple of weeks ago. It is more effort to find people to be in community with, to find your people. That does require effort and awkwardness and navigating this landscape online, it does require work. But the reward is so worth it.

And it's just, I fear that it's going to be even easier in the future to just opt to use a chatbot or an AI tool or whatever. And I just want us to all really, really support each other and celebrate each other as actual writers, like people. Yeah. So that's, what I'll say. Oh, I just thought of this was like something that just popped into my head going back to the communities. There's a threads. I saw this because one of my clients recommended me as an editor, which was so sweet. And it was like, I saw a post, it was like indie authors of something. I don't know. It was a threads like community. I don't even know how it exists. I'm not on threads. I don't really, I don't really use threads. The only time I pop over there is if I see something on Instagram. You know how sometimes Instagram will like suggest a thread for you if it thinks you'd be interested in it. So I click on it and then it takes me over to the threads app. But you can check threads too. Like it's not just limited to TikTok. So, okay. Really prioritize this if this is something you want to be intentional about for 2026, whether it is because you want to find beta readers and critique partners or just because you want a friend to like write with occasionally, to get on Zoom together and do a writing sprint or like to just DM about stuff, you know, whatever, whatever the case, whatever it is.

Yeah, this is something you can prioritize if it's important to you. I urge you to do it. I've gotten so much value. And I just have to say, I'm smiling thinking about my 20, I don't even know what year this was. When I first started writing, I did not know anyone and I set this intention. I put this out into the universe. I was like, I really want a writing friend. I want a fellow writer as a friend. I want to find someone. And I didn't say like, oh, I want this, I want this many people. Like it was just like, I just want one person. I just want a friend who's a writer. I put that out into the universe. I did the work and I got more than that because I found a critique group that I was part of for several years in Nashville that was so incredible. My writer friend Lisa was like the first writer friend I made in Nashville. We're still in contact to this day. We send each other voice notes. So more than that has come true and like manifested because I was willing to set the intention to prioritize it and do the work. Okay. rant over. And I'm still, this is, I'll just end with this, I guess. Like I'm still, this is something I'm still working on, particularly because I don't know a lot of writers who are in this weird place where I am of having an agent, but not being a published author yet. And it's a weird limbo to be in. And so it always helps me when I can talk to someone about this, who knows exactly what I'm going through and what this experience feels like. So this is something I'm always working on. I always could use more writer friends. All right, I hope this helps. Thanks for listening. Happy first episode of 2026, and I'll see you next week.

 

 

Katie Wolf