Tom Robbins is a famous author of several bestselling novels, including Even Cowgirls, Get the Blues, starring Uma Thurman and Keanu Reeves. When Writer’s Digest asked him in an interview for the No. 1 reason aspiring authors fail, he said:

“Because they can’t take the loneliness required to be a writer.”

While making a successful writer has numerous pitfalls, isolation is undoubtedly one of the major failure factors. One way to counter the necessity of spending many hours alone is to join a writer’s group or workshop.

There are several ways that doing so will bolster your chances of publishing success, including:

It Keeps You Accountable

Writing alone means that all of your motivation must come from yourself. But joining a group gives you an extra impetus to write. Those who join writer’s workshops are given deadlines to come prepared to meetings to present their latest work. Sure, you can blow that off or make excuses, but at least now you have one extra factor to keep yourself moving forward.

Getting Feedback and Getting Your Work Exposed

Writing is a strange thing in that it is a solitary act yet intended to be shared with as many people as possible once completed. A writer’s workshop is a safe setting where you can “get out of yourself” as you read your stuff to fellow group members who can provide invaluable feedback. Yes, this can be painful if your group members don’t like what you write or offer unfair criticisms. However, that comes with the territory of the writing life. Why not get used to it now?

Networking

It’s amazing how many writers meet key people that will become essential connections in shaping their future as a successful author. Sometimes agents and publishers attend writer’s groups as they seek out new talent. A writer’s group is not just a place to get support and feedback for your work, and it’s a place to network within the overall writing community.

Remember this adage: “It takes a certain brilliance to write a book – but it takes a genius to sell that book.”

After all the hard work of the writing is done, a connection made in a writer’s group helps you get over the finish line of selling what you write.