Despite our best intentions, we often let our distractions prevent us from showing up to the page.

An accountability group can provide the structure you need to stay on track. Why? Because we’re simply more likely to achieve our goals if we write them down, share them with a group and check in over time.

Plus, having the support of others is a solid strategy for combatting self-sabotage and resistance.

Creating a Successful Accountability Group

So how do you get started?

Here’s what you need to consider when creating your own writing accountability group.

1. Define your accountability group’s purpose

Imagine your ideal writing group. Are they reading your work and offering you specific feedback?

Or do you imagine the shared camaraderie of discussing the writing process? Or maybe you just want writing friends to hold you accountable to your self-imposed deadlines?

Imagining your perfect writing group will help you think about the types of people you want to include.

2. Find people who are the right fit

Will you meet online in or in real life? If you’re simply seeking accountability, the group doesn’t need to be made up of writers. In fact, sometimes the best beta readers and critiquers aren’t writers.

When creating an accountability group, it’s often best to work with individuals with whom you have weak ties. These people are vested in you enough to help you succeed but aren’t so involved in your life that they aren’t objective about your situation. In other words, it isn’t easy to be accountable with your mother or best friend. A coworker, neighbor, or acquaintance is likely to work better.

To find these people, post a flyer at your local writing center, browse online writing groups, approach writing conference attendees, connect via social media, or consider a NaNoWriMo challenge.

3. Determine how and when the group will meet

The more vested you are in the group’s or your accountability partner’s success, the more likely you will meet your own goals. In other words, success fosters success.

Having an opportunity to see the individuals, either in person or online, allows that relationship to grow more quickly. Use Skype or a Google Hangout if you can’t meet in person. It’s easier to skip out posting each week to an online forum, but once you’ve connected with people via video you are less likely to no-show for a group meeting.

Create a schedule for the meetings. An hour a week is usually plenty of time to share goals and discuss challenges. You may need a two-hour meeting if you’re critiquing each others’ writing. Holding meetings at the same time each week or month helps foster a routine.

4. Choose your group size

If you plan to review each other’s work, the ideal group size is between 3-5 people.

This will give you several different sources of feedback while remaining small enough that everyone has time to share regularly.

If you just want someone to hold you accountable to your writing practice, however, having one committed accountability partner may be enough.

5. Commit to a length of time to work together

Choose a time commitment for your group. Maybe everyone wants to try it for three months or six months.

Once you’ve worked together for a few months, committing for a year might feel comfortable.

6. Create SMART goals

Follow the SMART goal format. If you’re in the midst of your “shitty first draft,” you might set a word count goal for the week.

If you’re rewriting, working for a specified amount of time each day or for the week will allow more flexibility.

7. Determine how much work you’ll share

Having a predetermined sharing schedule will create a structure for critiquing others’ work and submitting your own. For example, one writing group I participated in had members share 20-40 pages of work every two months. The pages were submitted two weeks prior to our monthly critique sessions.

Often sharing a larger section of work once a month or once every several months will give your reader an opportunity to get more of the flow of the story. We had each group member share overall feedback plus mark the text with specific feedback.

8. Ask for what you need

The more momentum the group creates, the more this will spill over to each individual. Help each other!

If you need a midweek check-in to keep you focused, ask for it. Do you need help with dialogue or characterization? Would you like help line-editing? What are you worried about? How can the group help?

Be specific about what you need, and you’re more likely to receive it.

9. Celebrate your successes

Having an accountability group will help you get unstuck and move forward. Take time to reflect on the group’s accomplishments. This will foster continued momentum and help you see how much the accountability group has helped propel you forward.

Writing is a solitary practice, but you don’t need to do it all by yourself. An accountability group will provide the support, motivation and structure needed to have you meet your writing goals week after week.

Have you worked with an accountability group? How has it helped your writing?

This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

Photo via Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock 

A writing group can help point out inconsistencies in your work, provide encouragement, ask questions and hold you accountable to your writing goals. When we belong to a supportive community, we are able to accomplish more.

How to find a writing group that’s right for you

So where do you find these people?

Here are a few ideas for where to look for a writing group.

1. Local writing centers and communities

Usually a quick Internet search with your city and “writing groups” will yield some results. Attend the group, meeting, or class and see if the group feels like a good fit.

2. Conferences

Sharing your contact information with other writing conference attendees is a great way to expand your writing community. I was invited to join my current writing group after meeting a member at a writing retreat.

3. Bulletin boards

There is still a lot to be said for this old school method of finding people! Post a sign at your favorite coffee shop, outside the writing department at your local college, or even on Craigslist. Create a process for vetting individuals or groups to determine if they are a good fit for your writing style – or not.

4. Writing associations

Professional associations such as Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America have chapters throughout the country. Check their sites for directories to find other members in your local area.

5. People you already know

Many people want to write a book. Eowyn Ivey, shortlisted for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize with her first novel, The Snow Child, exchanged work on a weekly basis with her mother, Julie Hungiville Lemay, an accomplished poet.

Most of us don’t come from writer families, but this doesn’t matter; the key is establishing a routine for a regular exchange of work. It can often be easier with someone with whom you have weak ties. Consider coworkers, neighbors, or acquaintances.

6. Meetup.com

This online service connects local people with similar interests ranging from Spanish literature to Scrabble. If there isn’t a writing group in your city, start your own – or hold virtual meetings and exchange work via email.

7. Online critique groups

Multiple online services are available and are often set up as an exchange: you must critique others’ work to have your own critiqued. Though they are often free, you may need to pay for for full access or an unlimited number of critiques. Some groups to check out: Critique Circle, Review Fuse, Scribophile and Ladies Who Critique.

One thing to keep in mind is that the readers in each group may or may not be your target audience. While I was pleased with my experience on Scribophile, there was a higher proportion of men than women and a higher ratio of fantasy writers compared to other genres.

8. Social media

Social media is a great way to connect with like-minded individuals and find potential writing group members. Try these: LinkedIn Groups for Writers, Facebook Groups for Writers, Goodreads Writing Groups and Twitter Lists for Writers.

Or you can just put out a call on your own social networks that you’re starting a writing group. You might be surprised who responds!

9. Create your own

If none of these ideas work for you, consider creating your own group! Here’s how to start a writing group.

Finding a writing group takes time but it is well worth it to have the support, feedback and encouragement a group provides. Once you find your people, consider these guidelines to make sure the group is effective for all of you.

Do you belong to a writing group? If you’re looking for a writing partner, leave a comment to connect with other readers!

When I first started building an audience for my book, I wanted to find examples of individuals who were doing it well. There are lots of great examples from the non-fiction world, but how are fiction writers accomplishing this? How were they structuring their online presence? How were they interacting with potential readers? And what the heck were they writing and talking about?

Stellar examples of authors with engaged readerships

If you spend any time on various online platforms, you’ll find a lot of marginal content: individuals who are purely self-promotional or websites with poor design. To give you some great models to emulate, here are some examples of authors who are engaging their readers in a meaningful way.

Blogging

Many of us know Joanna Penn from her popular blog, The Creative Penn, but she is also an accomplished mystery/suspense author.

Joanna has successfully made the leap from self-published to traditionally published author. At her author site, JFPenn.com, she blogs about ancient books, cities, and the psychology of religion — all common themes in her novels. She also interviews other authors in the same genre.

Joshilyn Jackson also provides a great example of what to write about on a blog. She’s had her blog since 2004 — eons in the blogging world. Joshilyn makes a big distinction between blogging for writers and blogging for readers. She blogs for her readers and mostly blogs about “ridiculous stories of the messes I tend to get myself into.” Joshilyn’s blog has the same strong voice and wittiness that she’s known for in her novels.

Facebook

Dana Stabenow is a mystery author with more than 20 published novels. She’s a master at cultivating an engaged readership. A group of dedicated fans dubbed themselves the “Danamaniacs” over twelve years ago. They have their own Facebook page to discuss Dana’s work and hold online chats.

Dana has offered a digital newsletter, the “Roadhouse Report,” since 2004. Dana is also active on Facebook and posts frequently about life in Alaska — her home and the setting for all of her novels — and other topics she finds interesting or intriguing. With more than 11,000 Facebook fans and 1,200+ Danamaniacs, she has a loyal and engaged group of readers.

Pinterest

The tagline of fantasy author Justine Musk’s site is “because you are a creative badass.” She has two traditionally published novels and an active presence on Twitter.

What makes Justine unique is she’s using Pinterest as a planning tool for her next novel. The images she pins range from tattoos to quotes that hint at a troubled soul and a dark side. I know I’m intrigued. (Inspired by this idea? Click to tweet it!)

Online forums

Neil Gaiman’s work ranges from comics, short stories and novels to films. He posts frequently in his online journal but he has also created a message board where readers can interact and discuss his work. Go check the forums to see how they work, but beware the rabbit hole: there are over 250,000 posts.

Twitter

Maureen Johnson, a UK-based author dubbed the “Queen of Teen,” has an active presence on Twitter. She’s recently taken up knitting and has promised a badly knitted scarf for anyone who could help her gather 8,000 Twitter followers after a snubbing by @Huffpostbooks.

Whether that was an ill-willed or in-jest comment, Maureen isn’t afraid to let herself be seen and she posts witty comments about current events and quirky things that catch her eye. She’s funny, relevant and her followers love her.

Google+

John Scalzi writes sci-fi fantasy and graphic novels. He’s active on Google+ and often posts upcoming book covers for his graphic novels. He also engages his readers in photo caption contests and posts teasers of first lines of his work-in-progress.

Finding common themes in your writing is a great place to start engaging your audience for a fiction writer. Much in the same way that it takes some trial and error to develop your voice as an author, it will also take some time to find your online voice on your platform of choice. You may even need to experiment with several platforms before you find one that’s the best fit for you.

Five steps to developing your own engaged readership

So how do you follow in these great authors’ footsteps? Here are a few places to start.

1. Observe some fiction authors with great engagement. You can start by following our list, but aim for 10-15 different authors to see a wide variety of examples.

2. What do you like about how they engage their readers?

3. What do you dislike?

4. Model the style of the authors whose engagement resonates with you on the platform of your choosing.

5. Continue to hone your voice and find your own style.

Bonus points: Eventually you’ll want to provide your fans an opportunity to not only interact with you but also interact with one another.

Most importantly? Be yourself.

Regardless of which platform you choose for concentrating your energies, building an online engagement with your readers is time well spent. You’ll be building loyal fans, one reader at a time.

Did we miss any fiction authors who have great reader engagement online? Let us know in the comments.