Communitycore
Like cottagecore, only with fewer creepy Victorian dolls
Hey, Runners!
When you think of a writer, what do you envision? Somebody hunched over a typewriter, notebook, or computer, completely oblivious to the outside world, right?
And what do you envision when you think of a writer in community? Someone holding out their scene, hand shaking, as they hand it over to a stern professor or grinning workshop fellow, knowing that everything they’ve been working on is about to be ripped to shreds.
Yeah. That’s not how it works here.
We run from Sept 9—June 13! Subscribe today to be one of the runners and get your novel, or other long-form fiction project, written this year!
Community doesn’t mean cruel
The idea that we need to beat the shit out of each other to help each other achieve excellence is… I’ll be honest with you… complete bullshit.
In the Running of the WIPS, all of the feedback you receive until the very end will be “What’s Your Favorite Part?” feedback.
This isn’t because you’re a fragile hothouse flower that can’t take criticism.
It’s because you do better work leaning into your strengths than you do fending off your weaknesses. But because so many writing workshops are about showing us all the ways in which we’re failing, we’ve trained ourselves not to think in terms of our strengths… which is the very thing we need in order to do our best work.
Drives me crazy.
And it won’t happen on my watch. The Running of the WIPs is here to build you up, and even when we do critical feedback (at the very end, on only your opening scene) it’s strengths-focused.
You will be amazed how much your weaknesses fade into the background, or disappear entirely, when you focus on feeding your strengths.
Today’s Comments Assignment:
What are your hopes and fears when you think about writing in community?
The answer is each other
The truth is, writing a novel is hard. It’s a long, challenging process, and it’s easy to get discouraged. But when you’re part of a community, you’re never truly alone. You’ve got a team behind you, cheering you on, ready to help you push through the tough times and celebrate the victories—no matter how small.
So, if you’re ready to make this the year you finally write that novel, join us in The Running of the WIPs.
Together, we’ll create something amazing.
The power of community and positive reinforcement are a driving force that beat out bad days, icky bosses, and fear. If my focus is on community then I don’t have as much time or energy to be critical to myself.
I'm still fairly new to writing in community but almost by accident I've managed to carefully curate my writing community. So I don't have a lot in the way of fears. I am historically not great at transitions and the whole "getting to know you" thing but the community that I have found has helped me settle into that somewhat.
As for hopes, I'm always on the lookout for people to brainstorm with, bolster each other's energy and morale, & learn from.