As the Executive Director of a writing group, I feel a genuine obligation, not only to the members who trust me with their craft, but to any struggling writer out there searching for a foothold. These blog posts, which so many of you tell me you enjoy, are packed with practical tips on the craft. And yes, I’ll admit it…every now and then I slip in a modest tease about one of my own books. That’s the deal: a little value for you, a little visibility for me.WordPress makes this easy. With the right plugins, a single post can automatically send a link out to a whole network of platforms.

It’s a beautiful thing until one of those platforms decides you’re the problem.

Recently, Nextdoor, a company whose stock hovered around a jaw-dropping six cents profit per share last year (KIND, and I use the ticker symbol ironically)—deleted an account I’d faithfully maintained for years. My heinous crime? Apparently, I’d “violated community standards” by committing the unspeakable act of sharing instructional writing posts. (The horror. Somewhere, a moderator clutched their pearls.)Truthfully, had I known they’d get their knickers in such a twist over someone talking about writing…to a community I’m heavily invested in, no less, I’d have yanked that plugin out years ago and spared us all the drama.

Take one honest look at the content on that platform and it’s not hard to see why it’s struggling. It’s become the digital living room of Karen and Chad…a place to complain that a neighbor’s grass is too tall, their paint too dull (or too bright), or that they’ve planted the wrong flowers in their beds. Truthfully? I don’t need them.

Platforms like that need people like me to keep things interesting.I was never told the specific reason, and honestly, it’s irrelevant to the point of this post.

Good luck, Nextdoor.

So, that you don’t fall into the same trap for the unforgivable sin of trying to help fellow writers…here’s a practical breakdown of where this kind of content is genuinely welcomed versus where it’s likely to get you flagged.

Where Sharing Your Craft Is Welcome

These platforms are built around content, community, and creators. Sharing instructional posts here isn’t just tolerated—it’s often the entire point.

• Medium — Built for long-form writing. Republish your blog posts (use canonical links) and tap into publications focused on writing and creativity.
• Substack — Ideal for building a direct newsletter relationship with readers. Your tips are the product.
• Reddit (r/writing, r/writers, r/selfpublish) — Enormously valuable if you contribute genuinely. Answer questions, join discussions, and share links sparingly and contextually.
• LinkedIn — Surprisingly strong for thought-leadership content. Writing tips framed as professional insight perform well.
• Facebook Groups (writing-specific) — Groups like “Fiction Writers” or genre-specific communities actively encourage craft-sharing.
• X (Twitter) — The #WritingCommunity and #amwriting hashtags connect you to a huge, engaged audience of writers.
• Threads — Increasingly popular with the writing crowd and friendlier to organic sharing than most.
• Pinterest — Underrated for bloggers. Writing infographics and tip graphics drive steady, long-term traffic.
• Tumblr — Still home to a devoted, creative writing subculture.
• Goodreads — Perfect for connecting craft content to your actual books.
• Discord servers — Countless writing communities thrive here on mutual support.

Where You’ll Likely Get Flagged (Proceed with Caution)

These platforms are either hyper-local, hostile to outbound links, or governed by moderation that treats any self-promotion as spam.

• Nextdoor — Neighborhood-focused by design. Anything resembling promotion or “off-topic” content is frequent flag-bait. (We’ve covered this.)
• Neighborhood Facebook Groups (non-writing) — Same energy as Nextdoor. Great for lost cats, terrible for blog links.
• Local community forums — Often moderated by volunteers with zero tolerance for outside links.
• Instagram — Not hostile, but it actively suppresses outbound links in captions. Great for engagement, frustrating for traffic.
• Certain strict subreddits — Many communities auto-remove posts from accounts with a low “karma” ratio or flag anything that looks like self-promotion. Read the rules first.
• Craigslist / local classifieds — Not built for this and likely to be removed.

The Real Lesson Here

The difference between “helpful contributor” and “community standards violator” usually comes down to one question: Is this platform built for content, or is it built for proximity?Content platforms reward you for teaching. Proximity platforms—the ones organized around your zip code—reward you for keeping quiet and never, ever bringing up your book. Know the difference before you invest years into an account, and you’ll spend far less time being lectured by a stranger who’s mostly upset about the state of your lawn.

If you have any tips or different experiences with these groups, let us know in the comments. Remeber WREM…Writing,Research,Edit and Marketing. If you are writing as a business…WREM…

Before You Go

If you found this helpful, do me a favor: share it with a fellow writer who’s been burned by a platform that couldn’t tell the difference between spam and genuine help. Better yet, come join us where craft-talk is actually welcome—leave a comment, subscribe to the blog, and let’s keep this conversation going.

And speaking of conversations worth having—our next post dives into genres. Whether you’re wrestling with where your manuscript fits on the shelf, blending styles, or trying to figure out what readers really expect from your category, we’re going to break it all down. You won’t want to miss it.Until then—happy writing, and keep sharing your gift with the world. The right audience is out there.

About the Cover

What would you do if your body remembered a story the world tried to erase?

Marisol Reyes believed her life was ordinary, until the night words began to surface on her skin. They burn like embers and speak of a past she has never known: a forgotten village, a family secret, and a legacy passed through blood and bone across generations. Her grandmother carried these memories in silence. Now the words have found their way to her.

As Marisol uncovers the truth about San Miguel de la Luz, a village destroyed in 1963 and erased from history, she learns that her family’s story is woven into the ambitions of a powerful corporation desperate to keep its secrets buried. With the help of Daniel Medina (a boy whose own family is bound to the betrayal that led to San Miguel’s destruction), Marisol must choose whether to remain silent or risk everything to bring the truth into the light.

Written in Skin is a gripping novel of magical realism, historical trauma, and the fight to reclaim lost histories. Perfect for fans of Isabel Allende, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and stories that braid the mystical with the deeply human, this is a tale about memory, resilience, and the power of words that refuse to stay buried.

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