My writing wouldn’t be nearly as far along without regular interaction with the online community. From daily updates (and the accountability it promotes), to critique and discussions of characterization and worldbuilding, I would have made considerably less progress in the last year and felt much more isolated without my writers’ circle. And that circle wouldn’t exist without chat app Discord.

Discord is most popular with the gaming crowd, but I find it’s flexible enough to be useful to anyone who wants to share real-time text or voice conversation with like-minded persons online. It’s also not so burdened with feature-itis that it’s a headache to manage (looking at you, Slack). After growing desperate with pandemic isolation earlier this year and reaching out on the NaNoWriMo.org forums, I discovered many active and lively writers’ groups on Discord; after exploring several servers, I ended up creating one specifically to attract science fiction writers. And now that I’m enjoying the insight and camaraderie of new friends all around the world, I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to explore chat.

When I finally drag myself across the finish line of my current long fiction project, my group members will deserve big part of the credit. Their encouragement has been invaluable during moments when—as happens to anyone toiling away in lonely obscurity—I’ve questioned both my skill and my sanity. Sometimes, all you need is outside perspective (from a kindred spirit) to tell you your folly is worth pursuit.