Most writers know the solitary side of the work. You sit at the desk, wrestle with the sentence, return to the chapter that still isn’t working, and try to balance your writing life with your work life, your family life, and every other responsibility asking for your attention. Even when you care deeply about the work, it can be hard to keep going without encouragement, accountability, and the sense that someone else understands what you’re trying to do.

That is one of the reasons the 2026 History Through Fiction conference felt so meaningful. Over the course of that weekend, I watched writers do more than attend sessions or take notes. They connected. They shared ideas. They encouraged one another. They celebrated each other’s progress. They asked thoughtful questions, spoke honestly about their struggles, and created the kind of energy that only emerges when writers feel seen and supported.

When the conference ended, I found myself asking a simple question: what if that sense of community did not have to end when the event was over? What if writers had a place where that same energy could continue throughout the year? That question became the beginning of The Working Writer.

Why We Created The Working Writer

My colleague Melissa Makarewicz and I created The Working Writer because we believe most writers need more than occasional inspiration. They need a place to return to—a place where they can keep learning, keep showing up, and keep making progress alongside people who understand both the creative and practical realities of the writing life.

There is no shortage of advice for writers. In fact, one of the problems many writers face is that there is simply too much of it—often contradictory, overwhelming, and disconnected from the real rhythm of writing a book or building a writing life. What many writers lack is not information, but continuity. They need support that does not disappear once a class ends or a social media post slips out of view.

More specifically, many writers are looking for:

• encouragement when motivation falters
• accountability when the work becomes easy to postpone
• clarity when publishing advice feels confusing
• connection when the writing life feels isolating
• a place to celebrate wins and talk honestly about disappointments

That is what The Working Writer is designed to offer.

More Than a Class, More Than a Feed

Built on the Circle.so platform, The Working Writer is an online community where writers can connect, encourage each other, work together, share knowledge, and grow. More than that, it is a space built around a different vision of what writers need if they are going to build sustainable creative lives.

Too often, writing support arrives in fragments: a workshop here, a webinar there, a helpful post that disappears down the feed by tomorrow. Those things can be useful, but they do not always create momentum, build relationships, or offer the sustained support that helps writers keep going over the long term. The Working Writer is meant to be more durable than that. It is rooted in the belief that writing may be solitary, but growth does not have to be.

What Writers Will Find Inside

Guided by me, Colin Mustful—an author and publishing professional—and Melissa Makarewicz, a social media and author platform expert, The Working Writer brings together tools, resources, conversation, and community in one place. Our tagline says it simply: Write. Connect. Make Progress. Together.

Inside the community, writers will find support in several important areas. Accountability and momentum matter because many writers do not struggle from a lack of talent, but from how easy it is to postpone the work when no one knows what they hoped to accomplish. Encouragement and connection matter because a healthy writing life requires more than productivity; it also requires people. Practical knowledge matters because writers often need help not only with craft, but with publishing, marketing, revision, and the long-term realities of building an author life. Shared learning matters because writers do not learn only from instructors. They also learn from one another.

Right now, that support includes a few key elements:

• two weekly writing sprints
• a monthly goal-setting session
• a monthly book study with a special guest who is an industry expert
• opportunities to connect with other writers, share progress, and stay engaged in the work

The goal is not pressure for pressure’s sake. It is gentle structure—the kind that helps writers build consistency without burning themselves out.

What’s Happening in Beta Right Now

The Working Writer is currently in its beta period through the end of the year, which makes this an especially exciting time to join. Beta is not just a soft launch. It is a chance for early members to help shape the future of the community and influence what it becomes after this initial phase.

All members receive a free 14-day trial. Founding Members pay just $10 per month, and in return they get the opportunity to help shape the direction of the community moving forward. That matters because the best communities are not merely built for people. They are built with them.

Even after just one week, the community has already grown to forty-five writers. That number matters not because bigger is always better, but because community gains value when people show up. As the group continues to grow, writers will have more chances to find conversation partners, accountability support, shared interests, and maybe even local connections that extend beyond the screen.

A Different Kind of Writing Community

There are many online spaces for writers. Some focus almost entirely on craft. Some focus on marketing. Some offer motivation without practical direction. Others provide information, but not much sense of relationship. What Melissa and I hope to build with The Working Writer is something more integrated.

We want it to be a place where writers can strengthen their craft, better understand publishing and platform, receive encouragement when the work feels difficult, stay accountable to their goals, build sustainable habits, and find peers who care about both the writing and the writer. In other words, we believe serious writers need more than tips. They need a community that respects the long game.

An Invitation to Join Us

If you have been looking for a writing community that offers both encouragement and structure, both insight and accountability, The Working Writer may be exactly the kind of space you have been hoping to find. Whether you are trying to finish a draft, develop better habits, understand the publishing world more clearly, or simply find other writers who understand the road you are walking, we would love to welcome you.

This community exists because of a belief that writers do better when they do not have to do everything alone. If that resonates with you, now is a great time to take a look. Start with the free 14-day trial. Explore the community. Join a writing sprint. Participate in a goal-setting session. Meet other writers. See what becomes possible when progress is supported by connection. Writing may begin in solitude, but it grows in community.