The Importance of Community

Yes, this is going to be a blog about finding your tribe.

But, there’s a little more to it than that.

When it comes to pursuing any kind of artistic profession, you are making yourself vulnerable. The reality is that even the things that you make that don’t feel personal are still filled with the fingerprints of who you are and what goes on in your mind at any given point in time.

This is very good, but also very scary.

Sharing your art is like sharing a part of yourself with the world, and that’s not something everyone is comfortable with. This is why I consider it to be so important that you have your go to people when it comes time to share the art that you made.

These people are your fellow writers, your colleagues, your friends, and anyone else who knows about your passion and is willing to screen it. I can’t tell you enough how invaluable it is to discuss a story idea with a group of my writing friends and really talk it out.

If you want to make a moment come to life, that’s how you do you.

You talk about the scene again and again. You discuss the characters and their motivations. You discuss the actions. You discuss what everyone in that scene is feeling.

Those friends of yours will be the ones to tell you when that doesn’t work out.

There is no better way to realize how little you’ve actually thought about an idea until a friend asks a question about it that you don’t know how to answer. It’s disorienting, but it’s great because it makes you think your idea through.

This is the best possible way to avoid the reviews that say “Okay, that was great but what about XYZ?”

You might have spent two months thinking about an idea and still have been too close to the topic to realize that you overlooked a really obvious loophole.

Everyone does it. Even professional writers do it, but no one likes doing it.

Your tribe isn’t only good for pointing out the mistakes in your books, but also for cheering you on and rooting for your success.

When you publish your first book, your heart will feel like it is going to explode while you wait to hear what people think about it, but having your tribe makes it bearable.

Those are people who love you, love your idea, and want to see you succeed, and that’s a great thing to have when you’re making art because the reality is that not everyone will like what you make.

These people are your champions, your guides, and your loving critics who only want to see you make the best possible thing you can.

Writing is often presented as a lonely life, but it doesn’t have to be.

In my opinion, it shouldn’t be.

Get out there and find your people. You’ll be glad that you did.

Alex H. Singh