True story: I am not a writer unless you count my blog posts on Booktango or my occasional lengthy Facebook statuses. However, I do know a lot of writers, and I am lucky enough to get to speak directly to some of our authors. The one thing I hear a lot is that authors write in solitude, alone, in the quiet. Perhaps that is when the best ideas come to them or maybe they are afraid if they share their ideas or stories, someone might steal them. Whatever the reason may be, I’d like to suggest writers look for feedback during their writing and publishing process.

Who better to give a writer feedback than other writers, or better yet, potential readers? Well friends, good news! There are tools out there to help you with just that.  Writing communities offer several options to interact with others, share struggles, provide insights or ideas. The best part? Almost every (good) community has guidelines and terms of use that protect the writer from their work being copied or against really abusive feedback.

Who should join a writing community? Continue reading →