Start (and Keep!) a Writing Habit by Joining a Writing Community

Work-Life Balance

When I was teaching full-time, I’d often come home from work after a ten-hour day and just want to sit in front of the TV. But sitting there, my mind would be buzzing with story ideas and other things I wanted to write (and other things I wanted to do!). At the same time, though, it was almost impossible for me to drag myself upstairs to my computer to write something that didn’t have to be written. Especially when I had a long to-do list of tasks that did, in fact, have to be done.

When balancing work and life, one of the most important things for me is to be able to have time (and energy) for my creative work. I’m in awe of those people who seem to have nonstop energy, reading book after book, researching, producing essays, submitting work, and doing all sorts of creative and/or academic projects–all while holding down jobs, performing various household responsibilities, and taking care of families and pets.

I am not one of those people who has such nonstop energy. I wish I were! Regardless, the reality is that it can be extremely difficult (maybe even intimidating) to sit down and actually produce work–to actually write. To do my own writing. To write for myself. Because there’s always that voice reminding me that there’s laundry to do or emails to answer or blog posts to write. So, as writers who are presumably balancing multiple life responsibilities, how do we make a practice of writing? How do we keep ourselves motivated? How do we sit down and just do it?

Accountability

It would be easy for me to say to you, “Hey, just set aside five minutes each day to write.” Or to tell you to give yourself a goal of a certain number of words to write each day or each week. Those kinds of goals certainly work well for some people, but if you’re reading a blog post about how to maintain a writing habit, you might be like me–those kinds of goals never worked particularly well for me, in part for the reasons I’ve previously mentioned. Therefore, to advise you to set such goals as a way to start and keep a writing habit would be a cop-out.

As I see it, the biggest barrier to any regular writing practice is a lack of accountability. How many of you get home from a draining day at work and think, “Well, I was going to start writing [or revising] a story tonight…but now I’m just too tired. It doesn’t have to be done tonight, so I’ll just wait and do it tomorrow.” I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s thought that. (At least I hope I’m not! My procrastination game is pretty strong, though!)

Self-imposed deadlines aren’t always enough. Therefore, the single most influential activity that has helped me stay focused and has kept me writing regularly (even if I still don’t feel as productive as those with nonstop energy) is this: joining a writing community.

Join a Writing Community

For more than twenty years, I have been regularly involved in various writing communities, surrounding myself with individuals with similar writing goals. Twenty-one years ago, poetry was my main interest. I went to weekly poetry readings and events, and I started a poetry club at the college I was attending. Then, a few short years later, living in another state, I happened upon a free community writers’ workshop. That group was a writing lifeline for me. It didn’t just help me produce writing, but it also helped me learn how to constructively give and receive feedback on writing. When that group dismantled, I started my own group (the Toledo Writers’ Workshop) and was the facilitator and an active participant in it for seven years until I moved to another state, where I then became involved in a new writing community.

Join a Virtual Writing Community

[This section has been added to reflect the “new normal” of interacting virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.]

In early 2020, I moved back to the Toledo area and am once again an active participant in the Toledo Writers’ Workshop. Due to the pandemic, though, we moved to meeting virtually in mid-March, a practice that will likely continue for the foreseeable future.

For many people, the pandemic has created a sense of isolation. Because of safety and health concerns, many people are (rightfully) avoiding activities they would otherwise be participating in. Additionally, the lack of certainty surrounding COVID-19 also creates an added sense of anxiety for many and, to some extent, a feeling of needing to feel productive–to make use of this extra time spent in solitude. The ability to meet virtually has been a boon in my life; I don’t know how I’d get by without the virtual interaction. And this applies to my writing life, too.

Frustration and Floundering

I floundered at the beginning of the pandemic. I couldn’t write; I couldn’t think. It was frustrating. So, I started a virtual write night to help pull me out of my slump. Since mid-April, a small group of us has met every Monday night. We discuss writing-related items, including problems or frustrations we might be having in regards to writing (or life, in general, actually). And then we spend about an hour and a half writing together…but apart.

The virtual group is, in many ways, therapeutic (for me, at least), although that was not necessarily the original intent. The purpose of this virtual group was to create time and space for writing. Just like a weekly writing workshop, there is routine involved that helps with accountability. Unlike the writing workshop, though, this is not a critique group. So, if you’ve had negative experiences with critique groups, creating a different kind of writing group is another way to become part of a writing community without necessarily sharing your work with others.

Other Kinds of Writing Communities

Besides critique groups and virtual write nights, there are other writing community platforms as well. For example, Paragraph: Workspace for Writers is based in New York but has been offering online classes and events during the pandemic. Many local communities are hosting virtual poetry readings as well. The fact of the matter is that there are many different ways to become part of a writing community. And regular interaction with other writers, whether as a critique group, a class, or just an informal discussion, will help you create personal writing goals. It will also, and importantly, bolster your writing accountability.

Accountability in writing does not mean that you have to write every day or write a certain amount in a certain period of time. We’re all different, and we all progress at different rates. Not all of us have nonstop energy, and we don’t need to (though, of course, it would be nice!).

My personal preference is for a group/community that meets weekly, and if you’re trying to start a regular writing practice, that’s what I’d recommend. Even if you don’t produce work each week, there are a lot of benefits to a weekly routine. In a critique group, for example, the routine of reading and offering feedback will help keep you involved in the practice of writing–the overall mindset of it.

Start Your Own Writing Community

Writing communities offer enormous benefits, particularly to novice writers, reluctant writers, or writers who struggle with motivation. Writing is a practice in which the writer is always evolving. There are many subgroups within larger writing communities, and you can learn different kinds of information from each. In some groups, the focus may be on submission or publication strategies–how to get your work out there; other groups may focus more on the elements of craft.

A favorable thing is that, with social media, it’s relatively easy to start a group, and you can make it as specific as you want (e.g., a sci-fi/fantasy group or a poetry group). You can create it as a critique group or as a discussion group. There are oodles of possibilities when it comes to starting a writing community.

If you would like more information in how to start a writing group or how to find one, contact me. I’m happy to help! Additionally, you are welcome to participate in my virtual weekly write nights–check out my Facebook page for details.

The bottom line is this: You can write alone, but you don’t have to!

[Post updated on 7-25-20 by the author.]