A few months ago, James kindly invited me to join a Signal group for a community he was forming that included writers and bloggers on the web. He had been thinking about this for a while, and he felt a closed group chat was as good a place to start as any. He had extended invites to writers whose blogs he had been enjoying over the years. I was quite flattered, and finally summoned the courage to join after the initial wave of imposter syndrome had passed. (After all, am I even good enough to have imposter syndrome?)
The group quickly grew to about 40 members over a few weeks. Impressive writers, all of them, many already on my blogroll. I have been a passive participant in the group for the most part, content to observe a group of immensely talented writers share ideas, take part in challenges, discuss writing techniques, and make zines.
As the number of participants kept growing and the conversations in the Signal chat became asynchronous, it was clear we needed a better home for the community. This was quickly addressed by a group of volunteers by making a forum. The Web Writers Collective Forum, now live, has both public and members-only spaces. Here is the welcome announcement from James which explains how the forum came to be and mentions the people who made it happen.
I’m grateful to be part of this group, and intend to use this forum primarily (and selfishly) as a source of inspiration and education for myself. In time, I hope to be able to contribute in useful ways. If you too are a writer on the open web, I can imagine no better place you could go to be with like-minded individuals from around the world, practicing their craft and upholding the IndieWeb ethos. Join us.
