Last June I was in a writing workshop at BookCon in New York City. The presenter began by asking everyone to raise their hands if they were a part of a writing group. In a room of approximately 100 writers, only seven of us raised our hands.
I was astounded.
These were people from all over the country who were serious enough about their writing to pay for a workshop ticket on top of their BookCon admission, never mind the expense of time and energy to find their way to the Jacob Javits Center hours before the convention even opened. These were people who, at my table alone, discussed writing every day, working on novel length pieces, voraciously reading their favorite authors and belonging to book clubs, all with their sights on “some day” publication. But none of them knew, or worked with, any other writers.
I am certain we all start this way. I know I did. Writing is one of those mysterious fields that still lives in the imaginations of many as a romanticized solo adventure of daydreaming, creating, and magically collecting many editions of published works to fill your bookshelves and hand out to family members. So much of the work is erased in these visions. So many writers get lost after creating. So much of the collaboration, team effort, and revision is either forgotten or simply not understood.
This is why I am asking you to Stop Writing Alone! Through this website, the Stop Writing Alone! Facebook community, and the Stop Writing Alone! Podcast (coming in 2019) we will work on writing prompts and other writing activities common in writing groups, we will discuss how to find the right writing community for you online and in real life, and we’ll discuss how to create your own writing groups and partnerships.
Everyone knows that a great portion of writing has to happen alone. It’s the nature of the beast, as they say. The thing is we can’t jump from writing alone to throwing our words out to readers — I believe we need our fellow writers first. I believe we need to stop writing alone. So here I am. I’m ready to write with you and to connect you with others too.
If you’re ready to connect, here are some actions you can take right now:
- Introduce yourself in the comments section here. Let us know what you’re writing and what you are looking for in a writing community/partnership.
- Follow this website.
- Like our Stop Writing Alone! Facebook Page
- Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @nv_rivera
- Sharpen your pencils, stretch your fingers, and charge your laptops — in other words, get ready to write!
Stop Writing Alone 