I'm going to be honest. I don't want to "create a community" of readers who read my work. I want people to read my work, but I don't think readers who read my work need to "be in community" with others who read my work.

I would love for people who read my work to discuss my book (and other books they read!) with those in the communities they already inhabit online and offline.

How many communities do we really need to be a member of? How many do we have the capacity for? Why do writers feel the need to create communities? Why can't I just read a book and enjoy it as a person who reads books and happened to read that book too?

Writers who are creating communities are creating income streams. That's what it's about. And it's fine. I just have no desire to approach my writing that way, and maybe that means I never get a huge book deal.

Also, being a member of a lot of communities exhausts me. And this is one reason why I'm struggling with the current email newsletter situation. I just don't ever see myself pitching my newsletter as an opportunity to join a community.

We all need relationships with other people. And I hope people who read my work (and people who don't!) have meaningful relationships with others. I want my writing to help people flourish in their relationships with themselves, others, and the world.

But I'm not here to create any communities. I guess "creating a community" is a form of "building a platform." Maybe that's why I don't have a huge platform. It all makes me want to write fiction instead of nonfiction. Maybe I need to learn how to write fiction.

And maybe this should've been an essay instead of a thread of tweets.

Also. If I am using some of my time and energy to create and nurture some sort of community of people who will commit to me as a writer and thinker and maybe buy my books and buy my friends' books and other things I recommend because influence...

That leaves less time for me to read, write, think, wonder, sit in silence, practice spiritual direction, be with friends, family, neighbors, etc.

I want to write books that people want to read even if I don't have some sort of patreon community (paid or unpaid) for them.

So I need to write really good books. That's the path I'm taking. I'm going to keep trying to write really good books. And that requires sufficient time to read, write, think, wonder, sit in silence, etc.

I have more thoughts. I'm trying to stop adding to this thread. But. Are we serving our readers well when we ask them to keep giving us and our communities and the others in those communities more and more of their attention?