"I need a writing community!" Listen in.
How even us, the introverts, can find creative community.
Dear Fellow Writers,
What we do is inherently lonely work. You might be alone right now, chugging along on your latest work in progress, the only sound the hum of the laptop, the scratch of your pen.
Maybe you’ve been doing this work alone for months or years, and your chug has degraded to a trickle. No one’s ever read your work, in fact, you’re not even sure it’s good (but also convinced you’re a genius who only takes one draft), you’re lacking motivation, lacking deadlines, lacking fellow creative friends.
You, dear writer, are in a rut. And nothing pulls us out of the muck like another good set of hands. What you need is community.
But how to find it?
Here is how I, an introverted, 20-something, found my writing community during the pandemic, to boot. It’s not perfect, it’s not prescriptive, and it’s ever-changing. But if I can socialize against my better nature, you can, too.
1. Search for writing groups and organizations in your local area
I started my search for community via Google. I typed in “(my city) writing groups.” I live in a mid-sized city, and at the time in 2021, found two groups near me. I vetted both from a distance and chose the one that seemed most similar to my writing interests and meeting preferences. The group met on Zoom once a week to critique 1-2 stories over the course of a couple hours. Participation felt fluid, with plenty of opportunity to submit your work.
Give this method a go, even if you live in a small area. I grew up in a 6,500-person town, and there is a great writing community there, spearheaded by a former professor of mine. You never know what you might find, though the writers coming together in a rural area might have a broader range of styles. Nothing wrong with this—view it as an extra opportunity to learn about different forms and genres. If you find no luck with this method, search for writing groups in the nearest city to you. You might find a group that meets on Zoom that you can attend regularly. You can also search for literary arts nonprofits near you and see if they’re offering workshops or group meetings.
Alternately, there are myriad ways to connect beyond your locale. Poets & Writers dedicates a section of its website to helping writers connect in groups, and various lit magazines have workshop components (though you might have to pay a participation fee).
2. Attend the group regularly (no, seriously)
You will not create rapport and maintain energy if you do not prioritize your newfound writing community. Try, at the least, to attend half of the group’s monthly events. This is how you build friendships, familiarity, and comfort with the critique structure. You also create mutual accountability and respect when you can be relied upon to both provide feedback and submit your own work regularly. No one likes the person who only shows up for their workshop and does not make the effort to critique others.
I joined my first group at the height of the pandemic, my social abilities at an all-time low, but I persisted until I found comfort and sustained attendance. For me, this happened over the course of several years, so do not be discouraged.
Your group may also host nonwriting-related activities. Attend these! My first group had someone who held get togethers at his home to mingle over drinks. Another group I attend includes a book club component. These outings are a great chance to get out of the house and be around other writers in a more low stakes way.
3. Invest in your craft
Let me be clear: you do not have to pay to be part of a good writing community. Three of the four groups in which I have been involved have been completely free! But if writing is the thing you live for, the thing keeping you alive, and you have access to disposable income, consider investing in your hobby. Writing, unlike most activities, is largely low-cost. We don’t need special uniforms or instruments or material. It’s all up here. (I’m pointing to my head.)
However, there are many ways to invest in further education and community as a writer: workshops, classes, lit fests, residencies. I’ve taken two massively helpful, affordable online workshops through my city’s nonprofit literary arts organization and have connected with participants outside of the class. I’ve been to free/low cost lit fests in my city and hometown. In fall 2025, I attended a residency at Prospect Street Writers House in North Bennington, Vermont, and it could not have gone better. I connected with all of the attendees, especially my suitemate, whom I reconnected with at AWP this month.
No matter your budget, if you can invest a bit of cash into your writing, you will meet new friends and learn more about your craft.
4. Use your networks
Eww, networks? I hear you say. Who are you, a lost LinkedIn influencer?
The word networking sends a shiver down my spine. It feels like a cuss word. I’m not prone to networking, nor has it ever worked for me in a professional capacity. However, I’ve seen it work wonders in my writing life, where I haven’t the faintest clue that I’m even networking.
I’ve only begun to feel its effects recently—I’m talking fall 2025, more than four years into my time attending a regular critique group and random writing functions. Last fall, I found that a couple of people from my original critique group had joined a different group that included various components (Novel November and a book club), and I thought, “I want to be in this group! I can be in two groups!” And so I joined, met more people, and widened my community. Last year, I also made new friends through short-term workshops and lit festivals. I’m not great at making friends, so this felt like a big win. I learned of a third critique group through my residency friend and very recently joined that one, too (now three groups is too many, and I need to make decisions—hence topic #5).
This way of networking felt natural to me. Yes, it resulted from some ambition and push on my part—willingness to try new things and not be discouraged if a certain group or person isn’t the right fit in my life. If you approach community with confidence in yourself as both a writer and a generally fun, kind person, new pathways will open for you without the need to feel like you’re “selling” yourself.
5. Be open to change
It is naive to think once you find a writing group, you will stick with that writing group for life. It’s not a marriage; it’s a working relationship (and hopefully you become friends with these people, though not always).
As I shared, I recently joined a third writing group, wherein I needed to reassess my priorities around each group’s offerings. Two groups meet fully online, one of which I am paying to attend. The third group meets in person, which is refreshing in the era of Zoom/Teams calls. I had a decision to make. I chose to leave the group that I joined in 2021 to pursue the two newer groups, one of which I joined last November, the other, literally last week. I’m stepping out of my comfort zone to shake things up and see what sticks.
If opportunity comes knocking, don’t be afraid. Be open to the possibility that the next thing could be better than the last. If not, retrace your steps and return to what works. Lead with kindness, but know that it’s OK to chase opportunity that excites and energizes you.
Community will never be perfect, but it should be a place that you feel welcome, respected, inspired, and reenergized for the oft-lonely craft that is writing.
Be open. Stay curious.
Best,
A Still-Introverted, 30-Something
What I’m Reading
Two snappy flash fiction pieces while I’m on the road this week:
“From Your Jerry” by Kevin Sterne
“Apology Note To My Roommate Irene After My Chimaera Destroyed Her Blue Suede Heels” by Kaely Horton
This is great, and i wholeheartedly agree. It takes a big, courageous leap, but generally you find others looking for the same thing you are. Good tips for getting started — your local bookstore can be a resource, too!