Organised Writing Communities

When I first dipped my toe into writing, so many websites and resources jumped out at me: SCBWI, Reedsy, WriteMentor, KidLit 411, Authors Guild, Writers Online, Writing Workshops, The Writing Barn, Storyteller Academy, and many more. I signed up for every email/subscription I could and was soon overwhelmed with too many emails, too many voices, and just too much information! And as you delve into the kidlit world (or just publishing in general), you will find most of the information is contradictory and/or subjective, which just makes it all so confusing.

I had to pull back for my own sanity and over the last 1.5 years I have found 3 communities that really help to support my learning, provide community, and bring me joy! This is not to say the others are not worthwhile or helpful - they were just not for me at the time. I dip my toe into some of them for specific webinars (The Writing Barn in particular has great webinars!) but they are not my primary go-to.

For the purposes of this post, I am looking at organised writing communities rather than communities you can find and build for yourself on social media.

So you might be asking yourself, which 3 did I end up going with?

KidLit 411

KidLit 411 is a free website and resource for kidlit authors and is the first place I would recommend anyone look! It is basically a website with a list of resources, a blog, interviews with authors/illustrators and links to articles. I don't often visit the website anymore but I did regularly when I was first starting out. It covers all the age ranges from PB through to YA and includes information for writing, revising, querying and also has writing courses and challenges. There are also more technical items such as legal and contract resources which do prove helpful further down the writing line!

How I use KidLit 411 now is mainly on Facebook - they have 2 groups that I am part of: KidLit411 and KidLit411 Manuscript Swap. These groups are super active with amazingly helpful members who are happy to answer questions, provide feedback, look for comp titles and guide people on industry standards.

If you are just starting out and dipping your toe into children's publishing then this is by far the best place to start! Visit and browse through their list of resource pages and use it as a springboard to deeper learning.

SCBWI - The Global Community for Children's Book Creators

This was the first organisation I signed up to and it has provided a lot of insights and help! They have ready-made resources available once you join like The Essential Guide to Publishing for Children, Self-Publishing Services Directory, and free for member webinars throughout the year. You also get a discounted rate on their paid webinars and they do a few conferences throughout the year. I haven't attended an in-person event myself, but have attended many webinars and classes and they are so informative, useful and luckily the replays are always available for at least a month. I definitely recommend looking up SCBWI and all they offer to see if they are right for you!

I also joined my local SCBWI chapter (I was excited to find one locally!) and we meet every month to talk writing, motivate and encourage each other, and we even organised our own writer's retreat for a weekend! It has been amazing to meet local writers and actually have an in-person community, rather than solely an online one.

SCBWI SE Petersfield Group Retreat

I did "attend" their SCBWI Summer Virtual Conference a few weeks ago, but I haven't actually watched the presentations yet! So stay tuned for a blog about those once I find the time to watch them!

SCBWI do have groups worldwide but they do seem to be most active in the US. Living in the UK I have found the SCBWI British Isles group to be fantastic, but most of the webinars I attend are based in the US. The two markets are different, but the writing process is the same no matter where you live! So I would recommend not to limit yourself to attending events solely in your region/country.

One of the benefits of a lot of SCBWI webinars I have attended (not all though!) are above-the-slush-pile submission opportunities. From my experience, most of the webinars that feature an agent or editor will give this as a benefit to attendees (even ones that watch it after the fact). So once you are ready to query, this is a great hidden resource!

Julie Hedlund's 12 x 12 Picture Book Challenge

I randomly came across this community on X and boy am I glad I did! I found them towards the end of January 2024 (membership is only open at the beginning of the year and then closes) and I debated joining as I considered it expensive at US $197 for the year (Silver membership). I worked out that if I attended every webinar (I think I only missed 2 the first year) then it was just over US $8 per webinar - a great price! I am so glad I went for it and can highly recommend it for anyone looking to learn more about picture books.

This group is more than just a challenge (originally set up so the members would write one picture book draft a month) - it provides community, support, learning and a crash course in everything to do with writing, publishing, and becoming a full-time writer. There are 2 webinars a month (for Silver members), a forum where you can find answers to pretty much every question, a full manuscript critique area where other members can read and provide feedback on your writing, and many areas where you can support each other (follows on social media, calls for reviews, follows on blogs, etc.). And it is full of writers at all stages in their careers - newbies, querying authors, published authors, award-winning authors, etc. and everyone supports each other.

There is also a Facebook group exclusive for members. The forum is full of information and if you ask a question, someone will get back to you in a day or so. But on Facebook, it is pretty much instant as the community is large, happy to help, and based across the world! So it is a very knowledgeable group where I have learnt so much, just by reading through the posts. I have also asked several times in the group of recommendations for comp titles and for editors. It is the first group I check whenever I sign into Facebook!

12x12 was where I found my first critique group back in Feb 2024 (there is a forum where you can easily find a group) and we are still meeting and supporting each other today! I will do an individual blog post about critique groups as there is so much to cover!

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A caveat for all of these groups: you get out what you put in!

It is the same for all groups - if you engage, ask and answer questions, attend events, etc. then you will get a lot out of it. If you don't, then you might not get as much back. Last year (2024) I wrote 13 PB drafts due to the 12x12 community (which also has badges you can apply for - a great little bonus motivator!) and I attended all but 2 webinars. This year (2025) so far, I have written 2 PB drafts and missed 2 webinars already. That is OK though - life gets busy, writing isn't always the top priority, and I also turned my attention to CBs this year.

So am I getting my money's worth out of 12x12 still? I think so! Even without writing as many PBs and missing some of the content, I have loved and been inspired by the webinars I attended (including an amazing one on AI), I have asked questions and been engaged in the FB group, and I am still loving the community. I also dipped my toe into the reading group they have and read one of my favourite craft books because of it (another post on this, but it was The Happy Writer by Marissa Meyer).

These are the communities that I have found work for me at this point in my writing journey. As I said, there are many, many more and I know lots of writers who love and swear by them! So this is not an exhaustive list, just a "what worked for me" list. And as mentioned before, this list doesn't include the writing communities on social media that I have become a part of and I know lots of people swear by. That will be another post!

Writers - I would love to hear what writing communities you are a part of and what you love about them in the comments!