How to Use Social Media to Build a Writing Community

One of the best parts of NaNoWriMo is bonding with the community and writing alongside hundreds of thousands other novelists. Today, YWP participant and Teen Authors Journal founder Melissa Torrefranca shares her thoughts on how to use social media to find writing buddies and build a community:

Even if you lack writing buddies in real life, it is easy to find people online who share the same interests. In this post I will be focusing on how to use Instagram to find fellow writers, or even others also participating in NaNoWriMo.

Using Instagram to Connect with the Writing Community

Although the writing communities are active on many social media sites, I found the community on Instagram to be the most prominent. Instagram is centered around visuals—perfect for writers who want to showcase book covers, inspirational quotes, or even writing memes.

If you want to use Instagram to connect with people in the writing community, you will have to do more than liking a few posts. The first step is to do a bit of searching. I recommend exploring hashtags like #writing and #writersofinstagram. This is a great way to find people online who are enthusiastic about sharing their love for writing. Make sure to like and leave comments on posts that interest you. The more you interact with writing posts and accounts, the more people will recognize and reach out to you.

Instagram’s Direct Messaging Feature

If you find a writer who looks like you have a lot in common with, do not hesitate to send them a direct message. You can initiate a conversation by asking questions about when they started writing, how their current manuscript is developing, and if they are also participating in NaNoWriMo. Keep in mind that not everyone is going to reply to you, but the few who do can turn into great friends.

Once you have a few chats with people and know some writers well, you can take things to the next level by creating a group chat. Just like you, these users are also looking to make new writing friends and will appreciate the introductions. Over time you will notice other people including you in group chats as well, and the list of people you know will slowly grow.

Create Posts to Share Your Own Enthusiasm About Writing

When I first started my Instagram writing account, I began by posting quotes I admired and would sometimes share about my current writing struggles. I gave them relative hashtags, and the majority of my followers were all within the writing community. It is not necessary to make your account exclusively about writing, but having a few writing-related posts or sharing that you are a writer in your bio will help more people find and reach out to you.

Another option is to create an Instagram blog account. I personally know many writers who post pictures and blog about their writing progress for that day or week. Here’s an Instagram blog account that does this well.

Being a Supportive Member of the Writing Community

Tuning in with a community through social media is a beautiful thing. The writing community on Instagram in particular is one of the most helpful and motivating niches I have ever experienced through social media. Writers push each other to conquer NaNoWriMo, but also encourage those who fail to meet their goals. Without my online friends, I would not be the same writer I am today. I might not even be a writer at all.

If you are participating in NaNoWriMo and have not yet taken advantage of the Instagram community, I encourage you to use these tips I shared to get involved. It will open the door to a whole new writing experience.

Melissa Torrefranca is the Founder of Teen Authors Journal, an online community for young writers. She has been working on books since she was seven but did not fully immerse herself in the writing community until the age of twelve. She is using NaNoWriMo November 2017 as an opportunity to finish the first draft of her novel and make new writing friends. Visit Melissa’s personal website here.

Top image licensed under Creative Commons from BrickinNick on Flickr.