16 Comments

It's funny how we start to realize how important *true* community is as we get older. I'm in my 50s now and finally getting out of my introverted way to find my writing people. Thank you for putting words to this!

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I think you're right: there's something about aging, or at least with me, that causes us to recognize the people around us, realize what they've given us, and know that we rely on others for so much.

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So true!

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Yes! I also went it alone until my 50s. Why did I wait so long?

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So true. The Bay Area Writers League is all about community. Mentoring our members in various ways is fulfilling. Helping someone have the confidence and determination to self-publish and pursue traditional publishing paths just feels good. For both! Good article.

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a great newsletter, Grant....touches on a lot of points....thanks

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You're a vital part of my community, Thaisa! I'm so thankful that I know you and have benefitted from your writing wisdom, generosity, and kindness.

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If Substack has taught me anything in the past three months (more accurately just reaffirmed what I'd experienced before on the Poetizer app in 2019/2020), it's that writers kind of get sick and decay if kept alone and isolated from other members of their kind, much like parrots and sea otters. Writing is made alone but writers are made together.

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What a perfect way to put it: "Writing is made alone but writers are made together."

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I was just having a conversation with a fellow hiker (and also writer) this afternoon about the value of communities. My hiking groups are one, writing groups another; sometimes they arrange themselves into a Venn diagram of support. A craving for community is why I moved to a new city where I now feel a deeper sense of connection to the place and people after a few months than I felt in decades in my old city. And I so appreciate those who (like you) hold a space, whether physical or virtual to build these connections.

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That's so great your gamble of a move paid off and you're finding a community. It's a powerful force, community. More and more, I like to lose myself in it.

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Yes!

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I’ve been in a couple of poetry groups for years and they keep me writing.

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Oh, that's so great, LeeAnn. It can be so challenging to find the right group.

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I too define myself as a non-joiner, but when it comes to writing I need my peeps - my fellow writers for all the reasons you describe. Thanks, however, through your examples - for the reminder. P.S. Thanks too for write-minded. I enjoy the podcast very much.

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Thanks so much, Jill! Per Write-minded, I hope a show like that can be seen as part of a writer's community. I appreciate you listening and reading—and commenting!

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