Welcome, all ye faithful. Dip your laurels in the holy oil and enter the catacombs dark and deep. I’ve got a little discussion about community and an announcement to share with you today. As always, I’m so glad you’re here.
As some of you may know, I’m a multi-genre writer. I write in good old science fiction/fantasy/horror territory, but I’ve also been diligently applying myself to the craft of romance writing for years now. It’s been an amazing experience, full of lots of podcasts and how-to books and half-finished manuscripts, but I’ll be honest, it’s also been a little lonely.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to find a home in both internet and IRL spaces in the speculative fiction writing community, but romance has been a bit harder. I’ve only been reading romance and actively following romance news for the last three years or so, so I don’t have the depth of experience with the community a lifelong reader might have. I’m also writing romance under a penname, and since I’m waiting to share that penname with folks until after I have some work published, I can’t exactly go around making friends under my romance name.
That isn’t to say that there aren’t amazing romance writers out there who have welcomed me with open arms. I’ve had multiple experiences of more experienced authors reaching out to me with encouraging DMs or happily answering my questions as I bumble along through the community like a confused little bee. (Sometimes meeting your heroes is good, actually). But I still wanted to be able to talk shop with other romance writers in a more intimate locale than, say, the bird app. Writing can be a grind, and it’s best not to go it alone.
That’s why I decided to make a dedicated space to connect with romance writers.
This discord server is where we can swap industry news, share what we're reading, do writing sprints together, and hype each other up! All are welcome, no matter where you are in your publishing journey. Indie, trad, or yet to be published, it’s all love. If you’re writing a romantic story (or a story with romance in it), we want to meet you.
So far, we’ve got an amazing group of multi-genre writers together in a really supportive, low key environment. I’m online most days moderating and kicking off conversations, so please feel free to reach out to me if you need any accommodations or would like to recommend a new channel! If you don’t have a Discord account, I promise it’s easy to set one up.
So come one, come all! Let’s learn and grow together!
That’s all I have for you this week, dear reader, but as always, I hope you’re safe and happy and reading good books wherever you are. Be so well until we two meet again.
-Saint