Why Children’s Authors Need Community
Writing is a solitary venture. Publishing is not… but publishing can be unpredictable and emotionally difficult. Community helps writers remain resilient. One of the greatest misconceptions among aspiring writers is the belief that success happens in isolation, but in reality, most children’s authors build their careers within communities. Writing communities can provide encouragement and support, necessary feedback, industry information, accountability, and perspective. And community can be found in several places and ways.
Critique Groups
A good critique group can be truly transformative for a writer. The best groups are comprised of people who understand the genre, respect one another’s process and voice, and are able to balance honest feedback with kindness and encouragement. Critique groups can do more than teach writers how to revise… they can help us learn how to receive feedback gracefully and professionally, and they can provide an all-important network of support for the inevitable challenges of navigating the submissions and publication process.
Conferences and Workshops
Children’s literature conferences remain one of the best ways to develop craft, discover opportunities, and build industry relationships. Many long-term creative friendships begin at conferences, and many professional connections are forged. Publishing is a surprisingly small industry, and writers, editors, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers, reviewers, and conference organizers often cross paths repeatedly over time. It’s not the main reason to attend a conference – but it’s often a happy by-product. As always, professionalism in these situations matters, as does courtesy and generosity.
Social Media
I’m not just talking about following individuals – although that can be insightful. Following agents and editors, as well as professional writers, can certainly help us learn about the industry, but often those posts are carefully curated to emphasize success – which can sometimes feel discouraging to new writers. The best use of social media is participating in groups. Kidlit 411 on Facebook, for instance. There are also very active groups for those who are members of programs like the 12 X 12 Picture Book Challenge, Picture Book Summit, or The Complete Picture Book Submissions System. These groups maintain a vibrant dialogue that offers much in the way of learning and support.
Community Sustains Creative Life
Perhaps most importantly, writing communities remind us that we are not alone. Every writer experiences rejection, self-doubt, and creative exhaustion. Community helps normalize those experiences. And sometimes, simply hearing “me too” from another writer is enough to keep going.
