Let’s bust a myth.
You know the one:
The brooding writer, alone in a cabin, typewriter clacking, cigarette burning, whiskey glass sweating beside a stack of pages.
I’m talking bout that whole idea that you have to go it alone to create great art.
Yeah… no.
That image may look romantic on a T-shirt or in a Wes Anderson movie, but it’s not how the majority of great writing has been done. Not in the past. Not today. And certainly not in my programs.
In fact, collaboration and community have always been at the heart of the writing process.
Writing Isn’t a Solo Sport (and It Never Was)
I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately.
These days, podcasting has become a mostly solo endeavor for me, but it wasn’t always like that. I co-hosted two shows with fellow author Catherine Brunelle: Write Along Radio and Ottawa Writes. And let me tell you, those were fun. The collaboration, the shared energy, the creativity that sparked between us? I miss it.
That’s why I get so fired up when I hear people romanticize the isolated writer trope. The truth is that history tells a different story. A better one.
Let’s take a tour through literary history and look at just how social and collaborative writing has always been.
The Romantic Poets: Inventing the Lone Genius (While Being a Duo)
People like to credit the Romantic poets, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, and Byron, as the originators of that lone, tortured artist image. But here’s the twist: they were deeply collaborative.
Wordsworth and Coleridge were practically soulmates in their creative endeavors. They didn’t just critique each other’s work, they pushed each other to greatness. They were literary rivals, friends, and co-creators all at once.
(Check out the awesome film Pandaemonium for a dramatization of their chaotic relationship!)
And let’s not forget that legendary stormy night at the cottage where Byron, Percy Shelley, and Mary Shelley challenged each other to write ghost stories. Two fizzled. One became Frankenstein.
By the way, if you love Star Wars (and who doesn’t?), Lord Byron (the original “mad, bad, and dangerous to know” heartthrob) is widely considered the archetype for Han Solo.
So the next time someone tells you speculative fiction is a solo act, remind them: Mary Shelley invented science fiction at a party.
The Inklings: Fantasy Was Forged in Fellowship
Fast forward a century or so, and you’ve got The Inklings. C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and friends met regularly at Oxford to talk fairy tales, theology, and fantasy fiction over pints.
Narnia and Middle-Earth weren’t dreamed up in isolation. They were shaped in smoke-filled pubs by writers riffing off each other, critiquing drafts, and dreaming big together.
The Modernists: Mentorship and Marriage
Virginia Woolf? She didn’t go it alone.
She had a literary mentor in E.M. Forster.
Heck, her husband, Leonard Woolf, was her publisher.
That’s a writer’s circle right inside their marriage! Talk about collaboration.
The Lost Generation: Lit, Liquor, and Literary Fire
You’ve heard of them: Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, T.S. Eliot.
All those famous modernists and iconic authors were expats in Paris, hanging out in salons, getting drunk, sharing work, and arguing about art.
Their creative fire was forged in community, even when fueled by wine and cigarette smoke.
The Beats: From Jazz Bars to Book Deals
The Beat writers, Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs, were more than contemporaries. They were friends, editors, inspirations.
Even in their rebellious, bohemian world, they leaned on each other.
Modern-Day Example: Chuck Palahniuk
Yes, even Fight Club’s Chuck Palahniuk belongs to a writing group.
In the Fight Club comic book sequel, there’s a scene where a fictional version of Chuck reads pages to his writing group.
Because even the guy who invented Project Mayhem needs feedback sometimes.
What This Means for You (and Why I Built FIRST DRAFT)
Look, I’m not saying you can’t write alone. Of course you can. But you shouldn’t have to.
And frankly, trying to do this entirely alone is a major reason so many writers stall, get overwhelmed, or never finish their books.
That’s why I built FIRST DRAFT—a group coaching program for writers who are ready to get serious about finishing their books… and want to have some fun doing it.
This Isn’t NaNoWriMo. It’s Real Life.
Look, it’s November, and if you want to go full caffeine-fueled chaos for 30 days? I salute you.
But that’s not what I do—and it’s not what FIRST DRAFT is about.
My writers are parents, professionals, retirees, and creatives juggling the demands of real life. And yet—they’re writing books. They’re making progress. They’re finishing drafts in six months or less, with plenty of time left over to do the dishes, walk the dog, and actually enjoy life.
You can do it too.
Ready to Join a New Writing Community?
The Inklings are gone.
The Romantics had their time.
The Beats have passed.
This is now. This is your moment.
And this is your invitation to stop writing alone.
Come join us.
👉 www.kevintjohns.com/first-draft
Let’s build your book and your creative community together.
