If you’re not making progress on your book, blog or other writing goals, a writing community might be the missing puzzle piece you need.
Writing is often a solitary activity – but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, I believe writers need other writers. Period. That’s the reason See Jane Write exists. Without a community to hold us accountable, work, family, and everyday life can easily push our goals to the back burner.
Wanting to write and consistently making time to write are two different things. Your desire to write might lead you to attend workshops and webinars on how to improve your writing – which is great. Every writer should be a student of her craft. But eventually, it’s time to stop simply learning about writing and actually WRITE. There comes a time when you don’t need another course; you need a community because a writing community can help you sit down and DO THE WORK.
Sure, any friend or family member could agree to be your accountability partner, to check in on your progress. But a writing buddy not only makes sure you’re doing what you said you’d do, but also truly understands your ambitions because she shares similar goals. She can also give you genuine feedback on your work.
Community can help you write your next chapter as you boldly step into life’s next act. Maybe you’re writing a book, returning to blogging, sharing your story, or simply rediscovering yourself through journaling. Whatever the case, finding your people will help you find your way.
Your Writing Community Can Change Your Writing Life
How’s your writing life?
Every writer needs someone in her life who asks her that question regularly. This is yet another reason why you need community.
Maybe you’re thinking, “Girl, I don’t have a writing life, and I’m not even sure how to start building one!” Don’t worry. I got you!
I created what I call the See Jane Write Success Path framework to help you design a writing life you will love.
Let’s review how it works and how the See Jane Write Collective, our paid membership program, will help you along the way.
The See Jane Write Success Path:
Step 1 – Get Focused: You can do anything but not everything — at least not all at once. We will help you choose which writing goal to focus on first. And because I want you to have a life beyond the laptop, each month I will also encourage you to set a wellness goal, a reading goal, and a goal for another area of life that needs attention.
Step 2 – Get Serious: Once you have a writing goal in mind, next you need to make time actually to work on it. So, we’re going to help you develop a writing routine. And each week the Collective hosts several co-writing sessions — dedicated time for you to hop on a Zoom call with fellow members and just write! Getting serious about writing also means making time to study your craft. That’s why we have a resource library and workshops on fiction, poetry, non-fiction, blogging, journalism, publishing and more.
Step 3- Get Connected: Joining See Jane Write is not enough. To see real results, you need to truly get connected to the community. To do this, come to at least one co-writing session each week and join an accountability small group. See Jane Write is for all types of writers. With our small groups, you get to work closely with writers working on projects in your specific genre.
Here’s what longtime member Nneka had to say about small groups:
“Joining See Jane Write changed my writing life. While I had been an SJW member for some years, it wasn’t until I became more intentional and made the decision to participate regularly that I saw my writing flourish. SJW helped me to build my confidence, gain valuable resources, and show up for myself. What sets See Jane Write apart for me is the small writing groups…Through these groups, I found my people!”
See Jane Write also hosts monthly critique sessions where you can get feedback on your work.
“The monthly critique sessions also help me to work through my anxiety of sharing my writing, as well as giving me a chance to enjoy what other Janes are working on,” Nneka says.
Step 4 – Get Noticed: Our resources, workshops, and events will help you build your writer platform, which might include submitting to literary journals, building a blog or Substack, or seeking speaking engagements. We also want to help with your social media presence and help you hone your networking skills.
Step 5– Get Paid: See Jane Write will show you how you can use your writing to make a difference and make money! If you’ve never been paid for your writing, See Jane Write wants to help change that. Getting paid for your words can work wonders for your confidence, and that boost can give you the momentum you need to keep going. We’ll start there and then eventually work our way up to crafting your own writerpreneur business plan.
Join Our Writing Community TODAY
In honor of See Jane Write’s half birthday (which was September 24), you can get half off our annual membership plan now through October 24 with the code HALFBDAY. With annual membership, you get everything mentioned above plus two one-on-one coaching sessions with me to discuss your writing goals. Sign up here TODAY.
And let me leave you with this from Nneka: “They say writing is a lonely art, but that’s not my story because of See Jane Write.”