Being a writer is one of the best/worst things to ever happen to us. The thrill of free drafting, finishing a project, or submitting work to a magazine is equal parts nerve-racking and satisfying. But keeping ourselves accountable to our writing practice can be one of the biggest hurdles.

You have amazing ideas, all playing like a film in your mind, but getting them onto paper? Well, sometimes it takes more than cajoling. It takes a writing community, where creative co-working and accountability are baked in.

The accountability aspects of a Writing Community are the writer’s equivalent to body-doubling for ADHDers. We hang out and complete our tasks, separately but together. It works because other people in the group are also counting on us. We can be good at letting ourselves down, but we don’t do that to our friends. All of a sudden your motivation to get work done hits a new high.

Your Friends

You probably know some writers already because we’re moths to a flame, and we can’t help but find each other in the wild. You might already be encouraging each other, and listening to their plot hole woes. You may have gone to college with them. This is the perfect person to ask to form a writing community.

Let them know that you’re trying to finish a project, or that you’d simply like to write more consistently, and see where you have time in you schedules to do that together. Writers very rarely say no to scheduled writing time.

Don’t have any writer friends?

Add Writer to Your Identity

This doesn’t mean you need to slap it to your social profiles or your LinkedIn bio (do people still use that site?). And if saying, “I’m a writer” makes you feel like an imposter, there’s always this classic, deployed during lunch in the break room. “This weekend I did some creative writing.” Then see who else nods along.

Because the thing about creative writers is that we don’t just like it. We freaking LOVE it. And as soon as you out yourself, the folks around you who also have a mountain of journals littered with dialog scraps and half-baked character sketches, are going to come forward like they’ve been summoned by an oracle.

Odds are, they’d like to have more community, and especially accountability, for their work too, or they’re already in a group and might invite you to join. You win either way. Drop the hints, and not just at work. With the folks you’ve befriended at the gym, the coffee shop regulars, the parents at school pick up and drop off, and the people you see consistently.

Mentors

If no one raises their hand about creative writing, you have people in your life who know other creative writers. I love to introduce my friend circles to one another instead of keeping them in their separate camps. We’re all friends for a reason: they’re cool and we have shared interests. If there’s overlap, I instinctively want them to connect.

Start talking to people in your life who you consider mentors, even if you don’t think they could possibly help you. The sheer range of interests among my friend groups is mind boggling, and it’s probably true for your friend groups too. So…

Make it known that you’re looking to find or start a writing community.

Other Artists

Now if all else fails and you don’t have any writers in your general vicinity, I know you have artists. Crafters, knitters, scrap-bookers, clay earring makers. Needing dedicated time to create isn’t exclusive to literary arts. It’s a common phenomenon in the creative community at large, and you can use that to your advantage.

Of course it’s ideal to find a writing community or a group that’s story centered. But it isn’t required. Your friend who’s trying desperately to finish crocheting that damn baby blanket before her little niece has a baby of her own, would love it if you said, “We’re setting aside an hour every Thursday night to do nothing but craft.”

Take a peek around you and see who you can link up with. Next week, we’re talking about additional ways to find and build community, and how to stay accountable to your projects and goals. What they are, where to find them, and how to get involved.

Until then, tie yourself to the chair if that’s what it takes.