Writing Communities

"Writing is a lonely job" is one of those clichesthat have become common place because they are true. It doesn't matter if you have people helping with research and revision, the moment of writing is between you and the paper (or the screen). That isolation can occasionaly become heavy and online writing communities are a good way to overcome it.

Naturally there are disadvantages to these sites. Being there can become just another way to procrastinate. The contact with other writers may leave you with the idea that you should be doing more, better or simply different. Many of these communities also tend to be very geared towards publication and the repetition of this idea may make us so obsessed with publishing that the fun will be knocked out of the writing.

Nevertheless, all these disadvantages may be avoided with some ease and there are a lot of advantages in being in contact with our peers. The first and most obvious one is access to information: about the publishing industry; about diverse settings; about language. Whatever doubts you may have, it's quite likely that you'll be able to find someone in one of these sites that can give you an answer. Then, there's the possibility of talking to people who understand what we're doing and why. It's not about us being some poor misunderstood geniuses, but think about it: at how many places could I discuss the research on whips and their effects I did for my pirate book without eliciting some very odd looks? There's also the possibility of establishing professional contacts and finally, many of these sites allow us to set goals and be accountable, which is priceless in a line of work where most of the time you answer only to yourself.

At the moment, these are the two writer's communities I'm a part of:
Forward Motion Writers
Romance Divas

They both have some rather interesting activities all year around and are an excelent support system.