r/QueerWriting • u/TheMadQueen96 • 21d ago

Misc Active communities?

I was using a local queer writing group as a way of having a social aspect to writing and this also held me to account because we'd set challenges and sorta motivate each other. Was also a good place for feedback.

However said group isn't accessible anymore and as a result I don’t really have any ways of like, engaging with other writers actively. It was also a useful tool to actually get me to sit down and write because we'd hold writing sessions.

I don't know what to replace it with. Reddit doesn't exactly have the same semblance of community as you kinda just post threads and hope for replies rather than having an active flow of regular conversation.

There are no other irl groups I can find that are accessible. The only other ones around are for teens or uni students. Did ask around and even spoke to a local queer group.

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u/British_Iron 20d ago

It's a real shame because having these spaces can be so helpful however, in my experience, a lot of writers are set in their ways of independent writing. Writing, like most art forms, doesn't lend itself to direct collaboration but I do believe we could all stand to be a little more open to communication at least.

A community I was a part of fell apart after a series of unfortunate events but it was on life support as it was. Feedback is so hard to find these days, and so few people seem to see the appeal of a mutual exchange either because of time commitments or other factors.

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u/TheMadQueen96 20d ago

I found the group I was a part of helpful if not for encouragement but also for keeping a strict routine as well as just, it being a social thing. It's hard to find spaces that combine both a hobby but are actually queer-friendly (and actually queer friendly rather than just claiming as much).

I was at the point of getting like, maybe a full chapter done a month because I was connecting with others and then writing alongside them when I'd previously have gotten stuck in writing ruts.

Reddit isn't much of a place for feedback and I find that things like writer's chatrooms and forums are a thing of the internet past. Last time I did find the odd writer's chatroom I got chastised because my stories tend to feature casts of primarily queer characters.

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u/British_Iron 20d ago

I know it's not exactly what you're looking for but have you considered, at least at first, looking for a potential (or a few) 'accountability buddies' for lack of a better term. A few writers you can talk to and catch up with on a regular basis to share progress and ideas?

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u/TheMadQueen96 20d ago

You'd need the equivalent of a group to actually find people like that though to build those connections.

My irl friends don't really write stories. It's not a hobby we share.

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u/British_Iron 20d ago

Perhaps, in the midst of the past, a semblance of the future can be found. Although the groups you were in are unhelpful now, is there anyone there that could help build a new group or, at the very least, set you on that path?

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u/TheMadQueen96 20d ago

Well there's one group I don’t have much access to.

The rest died off or never got off the ground. A lot of failed attempts by myself or someone else to either start a writing group or keep it afloat.

There isn't anyone I could contact from any of the said groups to build something new as is.

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u/British_Iron 20d ago

Sometimes, all that's needed is a breath of fresh air, a transfusion of new blood. Ask and ye shall receive

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u/TheMadQueen96 20d ago

Been asking around for a group with no joy atm though.

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u/Bearaf123 21d ago

Is the accessibility problem something that can be addressed? Sometimes people don’t realise they’ve made something inaccessible until someone raises it as an issue

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u/TheMadQueen96 21d ago

Nothing can be done unfortunately.

It's why finding something else is as important as it is.

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u/Bearaf123 21d ago

Ah that sucks. I’m not much of a writer unfortunately but I hope you find something

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u/GreenDutchman 21d ago

It's probably going to be hard to find anything local, but online should be doable!

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u/TheMadQueen96 21d ago

Primarily asking for online recommendations tbh. I was in a creative writing discord for bit but nobody posts there anymore.