On Writing

Writing Discord Communities

When you think of writing communities you might think of a local writing group meeting up at a coffee shop or an online forum. But you might not think of Discord!

Discord is an online chat community a bit like the IRC chat rooms of old crossed with the messenger and voice chat of Skype. Discord is primarily a gaming platform which is aimed at gamers, and each chat “room” is really a server which is ran by volunteers. It was created to allow gamers to form groups based around their favourite video games and to voice chat with each other during multiplayer gaming sessions. Many popular game companies have their own official server. However, the Discord platform has really grown over the years and now many non-gaming servers have bloomed, ranging from anime to comics, music, and writing communities.

In fact, writing servers have become massively popular! I joined Discord back in 2016 for gaming, but now I’m a member of more writing servers including my own. I credit these writing communities for helping me through my writing journey and teaching me valuable skills.

Why Join a Discord Writing Server?

No writer exists in a vacuum these days and I’d recommend any writer, new or old, to find a community of like-minded souls. Maybe your community is on Facebook or Twitter or Reddit or your local writing group. But Discord servers aren’t just another online community. There are many benefits to joining a Discord server you may have considered. Here are a few of them:

  • Connect with writers from across the world!
  • Talk with writers in real-time via the server chat rooms (known as channels) or via voice chat.
  • Swap advice and best practice for writing.
  • Find support from writers struggling through the writing/publishing process.
  • Get inspiration from other writers or worldbuilders.
  • Find beta readers or critique partners.
  • Ask for writing critique or grammar help.
  • Write alongside other writers during writing sprints.
  • Share your own writing.
  • Take part in writing competitions.
  • Discuss the latest publishing industry news.

For me, the best part of joining a Discord server was getting to know follow writers on their writing journey and supporting each other as we worked on our projects. There’s something positive about watching each other make progress in what is generally quite a slow endeavour. Through these writing communities, I have made friends and even met some of them in real life!

Of course, like all communities, what you get out of joining a server depends on what you put in. If you join a server just looking to promote your own work, you won’t get much response. Instead, you’ll be able to lasting make friends and critique partners by swapping advice and helping each other.

Recommended Writing Servers

There are many writing servers out there each with their own focus and rules. Take the time to find the server that is right for you! Some will be more laidback than others, and some will have strict rules on self-promotion. All writing servers are free to join and have their own community atmosphere.

Here are writing servers that I’m a member of and recommend:

Indie Authors Community

 

Indie Authors Discord is a community for indie authors, self-published authors, and those published with small presses. Whether you’re new to self-publishing, looking for marketing/promotion ideas, or a seasoned vet, we welcome you!

Our intention is to be a community where you can discuss the ins-and-outs of self-publishing. We are hoping to grow a community where we can help with promoting, sharing best practices and resources.

Join the server here: https://discord.gg/H9Mxqqu

Note: This server is for self-publishing talk and is not for general writing advice.

No Sleep ’til Bookdun

 

This server serves three main purposes:

Discuss and have fun: Check out all the discussion channels! Connect with us and you’ll find you’ll connect more to your writing, too!

The six-month novel-writing challenge: It’s this simple: Write a first draft in six months. The challenge has helped many of us to stay accountable to our monthly progress and many of us have made more progress than they ever have before! The current challenge started on March 1 of 2019, but you can join at any time. Just join either Team Green or Team Purple.

Critique World: We provide you with a structured way to get your chapters critiqued. We’ll also help you set up or join a discussion group so you can form those long-term bonds!

Above all, we hope you will find this little community helpful for your writing and personal goals.

Join the server here: https://discord.gg/Ydn9dT4

Reddit Serials

 

RedditSerials is a community dedicated to fiction published one chapter at a time across the internet! We welcome readers as well as writers of all skill levels – we have members who have multiple published novels, as well as those writing their first story. Come share your fiction, find something fun to read, or just join in the conversations!

Join the server here: https://discord.gg/VssYxpB

The Writing Cartel

 

We’re a group of writers trying to do the impossible—actually finish a project.

From discussion channels to more discussion channels, all the classic discord things are here. We also have a critique exchange channel, an optional word count tracker, seasonal events, and a lot of sprints.

If you’re actively writing or ready to start actively writing, this is the server for you.

Join the server here: https://discord.gg/33bJrdZ

World Anvil

 

World Anvil is a world-building wiki and organisation toolset with its own dedicated Discord server.

You are a Writer. Spinner of Yarns, Weaver of Wonders and our Guide to the imaginary realms and vibrant characters of your stories. Welcome to World Anvil! We’re absolutely thrilled to meet you! We’ll provide you with all the tools you need to organize and structure your Book or Series Bible. Build vibrant locations to set your scenes, keep track of your plots, timelines and histories and follow your characters on their epic journies across your maps! Never lose your ideas about a side-character or historical event, and embed inspiring images and music directly into your world to re-capture the mood! Find out more on their website.

Join the server here: https://discord.gg/WHuu4qH

Worldbuilding Magazine

 

Worldbuilding Magazine is a free digital publication which publishes original community content with a focus on sharing ideas, educating, and prompting our fellow worldbuilders to expand their work in new ways. We do this through interviews, essays, short fiction, artist features, and more from the community. Every issue we publish is available on www.worldbuildingmagazine.com. Our Discord server has become an extension of this philosophy: a place for people to gather and share ideas, artwork, discuss their work, and more. We look forward to meeting you.

Please contact a Department Chair or Editor-in-Chief if you would like to learn about becoming a part of the dedicated magazine team, or would like to submit a short story you wrote.

Join the server here: https://discord.gg/NwANMCr

Writer’s Block

 

Writer’s Block is a partnered Discord server for professionals and hobbyists to come together to talk about writing, craft, and improve our skills together as a community. Please note that this is first and foremost a writing server and that is the main topic of discussion at all times.

Join the server here: https://discord.gg/writersblock

Are you a member of any other writing servers on Discord? Link me your recommendations in the comments below or message me on Discord! My Discord username is Trudie Skies#4144 and I’m always happy to chat.

2 thoughts on “Writing Discord Communities”

  1. Jace Ethaniel says:

    The link which originally went to “Writer’s Block” currently goes to “Words Alike,” which is another Discord server aimed at writers and aspiring writers. It is more laid back than “Writer’s Block” and is quite welcoming, from my experience, but still provides plenty of resources and assistance for those seeking it.

  2. Rebecca says:

    If anyone is looking for a kidlit group with a mix of hobbyists, agented and published writers in the YA and MG categories, I own a group called The Sandwich Club. It’s primarily focused on writing sprints (sometimes for words, sometimes just tracking time). Very active. Connected to both WriteOnCon because it was founded by volunteers for the conference and to the Scribophile group of the same name. Here’s the link if you’re curious: https://discord.gg/GwEyfhkfjD.

    The other one that’s fun and not on the list is Book or Bust. I’m just a member, but they have a custom bot for writing marathons that really is something special. It can be overwhelming, so be careful to keep it productive when you visit them: https://discord.gg/7UX5xUNXvt.

    Happy writing! And thank you Trudie for the list! Excited to check two of them out.

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