No One Does It Alone
By MeiMei Fox
Guest Blogger for the Overcoming Adversity with Collaboration Series
People think of writing as a solo activity. You lock yourself up in a room, sit yourself down at your desk, and go deep into your head.
The problem is, you may end up like Jack Nicholson’s author character in the movie The Shining: going mad.
The truth of the matter is, you’re far more likely to succeed in finishing your book if you do it in community. And have more fun.
When Toan Lam joined Your Bestselling Book, my online book authoring course taught in a cohort with other high achievers, he thought he was writing an interior design book. He had expertise as a TV host and interior designer. But every time he opened a blank document to write, he froze.
During our very first group session, I gave the simple instruction: “Write a Movie Moment scene from your life.” A moment when a tragedy or triumph opened you to new perspectives.
Toan wrote, and as he did, tears began streaming down his face. Later, he read his writing aloud, sharing how as a twelve-year-old, he’d saved every dollar to purchase a pair of maroon penny loafers he had spotted in a store window. The day he finally bought them was one of the most exciting of his young life. But the next day at school, his classmates mocked him mercilessly for his unique style, and he threw the beloved shoes in the trash. For the next twenty years, he buried that memory.
The room fell silent after he finished reading. Then one of his cohort members spoke up with encouragement, and another shared how deeply his story resonated with her own childhood wounds. Surrounded by people who saw his pain and reflected back his power, Toan healed a wound he hadn’t even known he was carrying.
After that breakthrough, his book practically wrote itself. Glimmer: 12 Simple Ways to Elevate Your Style and Spirit evolved from a straightforward interior design guide into something far more meaningful: a celebration of what makes each of us an original.
I have spent over twenty-five years in the publishing industry as a two-time New York Times bestselling co-author, ghostwriter, and book coach, and the single most important lesson I have learned is that we cannot write our most vulnerable truths in isolation. We need witnesses to our stories, people who can see the cathedrals in our experiences when all we can see is the rubble. Community provides the gentle pressure that self-discipline alone cannot match, along with the safety to explore our subconscious and the encouragement to keep going when doubt creeps in.
At my WIP Summit session on the power of community, I will share research, stories, and practical strategies that have shown me why finding your people is just as essential as finding your voice. I hope you will join us.
MeiMei Fox is a two-time New York Times bestselling author and the founding CEO of Your Bestselling Book. She helps academics, professionals, and thought leaders transform their expertise into bestselling books. She lives in Honolulu with her husband and twin sons.
Catch MeiMei during her session at the 2026 Women in Publishing Summit.
DAY THREE: Why Authors Who Write In Community Are More Likely To Finish and Flourish with MeiMei Fox
MeiMei Fox will illuminate a simple secret to success as an author—and it doesn’t have to cost you a penny.
At the end of the presentation, you will know:
- The statistics and neuroscience behind a community-based approach to writing and publishing.
- Why, when you write in community, you’re not only more likely to finish, but also to have a more impactful book.
- How to find or build an author community, either in real life or online.
