Confessions of a Forum Junkie

Online Communities for Writers: Can't write without 'em, can't write because I'm too busy participating in 'em.

That about sums up my feelings about all the places I've found online to procrastinate by talking craft, research, contests, or other aspects of writer life with other writers. But I'm probably getting ahead of myself. Allow me to explain.

When I first started writing seriously back in February of 2006 (and by "seriously", I mean I started thinking, "Hmmm, maybe I can write something that could actually be published"), I did my writing the way I always had in the past: all alone and for my eyes only. I didn't know anyone else who was an author, either aspiring or published. And I certainly didn't want any of my friends or family reading my story. It was too rough and I was too insecure to consider letting anyone who actually knew me have a look at it. Who knew what they'd say or, worse, think? Nope, no way was I sharing!

I plugged away at my keyboard and was soon 40,000 words into my story. I was very efficient, but I was also very lonely. And, in the end, while what I was writing wasn't bad, it wasn't very good, either.

Enter the Internet. Desperate for some interaction with somebody somewhere who knew something about writing a romance novel, I started searching for for writers' groups via the time-honored Google method.

I should admit that long before I start subscribing to various Yahoo! loops and other fora for writers, I had been a Usenet newsgroup junkie for years. I discovered newsgroups in 1997, shortly after my first son was born, and quickly became addicted to the various parenting groups. They were a great place for a new parent to whine, ask for advice (and sometimes give it), and simply connect with other people going through the same experience.

So, when I started looking for other writers to connect with, it just came naturally to look online. I started in Usenet, but didn't have any luck finding really topical group there, but when I went to Yahoo Groups, and there I stumbled almost instantly across a group called Aspiring Romance Writers.

Well, I'd be darned if that didn't sound just dandy. I requested membership immediately, and so began the path that led me to:

• Meeting the Mavens


• Discovering RWA (which I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't even know existed!), discovering contests (which I also didn't know existed)


• Participating other writers' communities (including Avon FanLit, the one-year anniversary of which we pretty much celebrated a few weeks back with the call story of Tessa Dare, the grand prize winner).

From there, my community involvement expanded into the blogosphere (curse you, Smart Bitches/Trashy Novels, for the many hours I have spent snorting tea over cover snark when I should have been writing) and a number of other Yahoo groups. I hooked up with a couple of critique partners through the RCW Critique group and joined the Contest Alert group to keep abreast of breaking contest news. I joined The Beau Monde specialty chapter, which also has a Yahoo loop that is wealth of information, insight, and experience. When I gained RWA PRO status, I joined the PRO loop. And finally, when Cobblestone Press contracted Carnally Ever After, I became a member of their wonderful writers' community, which includes an online forum and weekly chats (both of which are open to readers as well as writers) and began reading many other blogs too numerous to name.

I firmly believe my involvement in all these communities has been a net benefit. I've learned so much about the craft and the business of writing from the people I've met.

But it does have its downside: It becomes difficult to keep up with all of them! Balancing the time I'm devoting to my writing career between visiting loops, blogs, and chats (I've been doing a lot of promotional chats for my book lately, too; in fact, tomorrow, I'll be at Novelspotters at 9pm eastern--come visit if you can!) can be tough. And when a scene is coming slowly or painfully or I just don't "feel" like writing, it can be awfully easy to start clicking the mouse to avoid the hard stuff.

YOUR TURN: How many online communities do you belong to? How much of your writing time do you devote to them? Have you discovered any particular benefits or pitfalls I didn't mention?

P.S. I'm very pleased to announce that Deanna Lee, co-founder and co-owner of Cobblestone Press, will be guesting with us on Friday. In addition to being a publisher and acquiring editor, Deanna is also the author of Undressing Mercy and Barenaked Jane, with more releases on the horizon. We're tickled pink to have her.