I'm new to writing, I just finished the first draft of the first novel I've written (yay!) and I'm looking for writing groups or communities that I can benefit from. Is there a community that helps people get feedback on their writing, or one that gives advice? Anything really :)
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Look to your local community, but COVID makes that a little harder. There are tons of ones on line, but validate they are legit. What is your genre? A lot of on-line advice is available as well without being part of a group, you just need to look up what you are having trouble with. Who do you know that reads your genre? What are you having problems with? Everything affects what you're looking for.– DWKrausSep 7, 2020 at 3:04
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Thanks! Not quite sure if that was rhetorical or not, but my genre is YA fantasy, and I'm mostly just having trouble with editing and how to get a story idea through to a sequel or trilogy.– AnnWriter19Sep 7, 2020 at 3:53
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Rather than asking for "anything really", this question would probably be improved by providing specific restrictions on what sort of answers best fit your needs/interests. Otherwise, the question runs the risk of being primarily opinion-based, because literally every answer would be equally valid as long as it's "a community that helps people get feedback on their writing" - there's no way to choose a single "best" answer, or judge any answer as being better than any other.– V2Blast ♦Sep 8, 2020 at 6:13
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Sorry for not being specific. I am looking for some online groups, ones for younger/new writers.– AnnWriter19Sep 8, 2020 at 20:41
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3 Answers
Scribes and Scribblers is a good Discord server rife with artists and writers where you can share your works, get feedback, and even generally converse about your respective craft. However, I will say that you must critique at least one other person's story on the server before you can post your own, which I believe is a fair requisite. I've been in it for a couple of years and it has aided me tremendously. Here's a link for it below.
I'm not sure if this link is permanent or not, but regardless, I've told you the name of the server to look up if necessary.
There are far too many online sites to list. A few I've used are and some of the writers on these sights were tremendously helpful, while others were less so. Online
Local Groups
- Look on Meetup to find local writers groups that meet to critique each others work
- google 'writer's groups near me' and you'll likely find listings of local writers that meet on zoom -- during covid-19 pandemic -- or in a public spaces like a library that are open to the public.
From both kinds of groups, you can find individuals that value your input on your writing and that you'll, in turn, value their input. In my experience it can be like sifting sand for diamonds to find another writer that was about my level and interested enough in getting better to want to work with someone.
While the vast majority of amateur writers are well intentioned and want to be helpful, how they express themselves and their views can be an acquired taste. Then there are the people that really think they know the hows, whys, and wherefores of writing and don't shy away from sharing their opinions of your work in the starkest language possible.
One important idea kept me engaged with a bunch of different groups, I was participating to learn how to critique stories so I could learn to better learn to see where my works needs to improve. Getting feedback on my stories was secondary to the purpose.
If you're aiming for professional publication, I'd suggest that you look for writers groups that have a good history of turning out professional writers. E.g. communities I've been involved in have included hatrack.com writers forum (where Mary Robinette Kowal was a member at the time) and fmwriters.com (several members of which published novels with top-tier publishers while I was a member, e.g. Wen Spencer). There are plenty of others with a similar track record.
