Like many writers, one of the things I loved about joining Twitter’s #WritingCommunity was the opportunity to discuss the craft and to learn with other writers. But as I followed more writers, questions about the business of writing virtually vanished from my feed. I created the hashtag #StrictlyWriting to make these things more visible.
StrictlyWriting’s goal was to act as a space to ask for writer or wip help, talk nitty gritty of writing craft and reflect on outlining to querying). It was also to tweet advice to help each other on our writing journeys, and share opportunities like workshops and festivals.
The hashtag died before Twitter did, but not before those of us who enjoyed it most relocated to a Discord Server, on which the hashtag’s original focus (in the graphic below) was still a goal.
Writers and Authors Discord
As of June 2025, the Strictly Writing Discord has merged with two others, so it covers the above purpose and channels for the following authors to find connection, mutual understanding and support:
-BIPOC authors (which has a BIPOC moderator) -Queer Authors -Neurodivergent Authors -Chronically Ill/ Disabled Authors -Authors Over 50
It also has genre Channels; SFF & World Building Mystery/ Thriller/Crime Romance Horror & Dark Themes Kidlit
Indie Authoring Writers and Authors Discord also includes channels to discuss, self publishing (including all platforms to do it on), book marketing and sharing resources, opportunities eg. Itchio Bundles, calls for submission, online conferences etc.
If you enjoy viewing/ reading Fantasy, SciFi, Spec Fic, Alternate History etc, I also have a Discord about my Fantasy Book and General SFF Viewing and Reading Appreciation. Here’s an invite.
If you’re interested in questions about wip content (eg. characters, setting etc), and writing, a good tag for this is #WritingQ which is also taking off on Blue Sky (see my Blue Sky Newby Guide to get started there).
Hashtags boost tweet and post impressions, and on Twitter and Instagram alike, they can help you connect with writers in the #WritingCommunity, and with readers. There are specific hashtags for writing stages, genres, types of writers, promoting books and more. I’ve categorised hashtags by type and purpose to boost your visibility and help you find whatever you’re seeking in Twitter and Instagram’s Writing Community, via hashtag. [Note, this blog has not been updated since 2022, and as I’ve deleted my Twitter account in 2023, I can no longer check which writer chats remain on Twitter. You’ll find the ones that have moved to Blue Sky in my Blue Sky Newby Guide.]
Umbrella Writer Hashtags
First up, to find fellow writers to share the journey, share information, exchange beta reads etc, you need your tweets seen by writers. There are some popular, broad-in-purpose hashtags for this, including those below. Unless you’re posting on a niche topic (eg. steam levels in romance), I’d use at least one of these and a couple of specific hashtags (further down) as well.
Hashtags which say ‘I’m the kind of writer you are/ the writer you like to read’ are more likely to stand out on a Twitter feed and prompt us to read and reply -because they suggest we will relate to your tweet. Hashtags which say ‘I’m feeling your editing/ querying hopes/ agony’ also signal who will relate and invite a response. (If you use a few, well chosen, easy to see tags. For tweeting tips see this post.) Some hashtags to give these signals with are Writer Type Hashtags, Genre tags and Wip (Work in Progress) Stage tags. I highly recommend the latter -most of the writer’s I’ve made friends and stayed in touch with on twitter are at similar stages of the writing process and tweeting about your wip’s stage on relevant hashtags is a great way to make those connections.
Some writers tweet regular prompts to which other writers respond on specific hashtags. Mini writer communities can grow up around these, so if you like a prompt, I recommend viewing its feed (by selecting its hashtag) and interacting with other writers tweeting on it, as well as tweeting your prompt responses on the tag. (It’s not a prompt hashtag, but #StrictlyWriting (mainly on Twitter) has a small community talking about writing craft and the writing process on it, so you may like to search and reply to or tweet on it. For its companion tags & Discord Group, see this post).
Twitter Tags
Instagram Tags
Writer Prompts
#SFFWrite (DM me if you’d like to take over this prompt!)
On Instagram, you don’t tend to get daily (or weekly) regular prompts. Challenges are more common, and they tend to run for set time periods. To find them, try typing #WriterChallenge in Insta’s search bar, and see which challenge hashtags that turns up. Check dates on posts in your search results to see if the challenge is still running.
NB: for more Insta tags see below Twitter Prompt & Twitter Help tags.
TwitterShorts/ Poetry PiecePrompts
If you enjoy writing shorts or poetry, you’ll find regular prompts and fellow shorts writers and poets on these tags. In this case, appreciating (and perhaps sharing via retweet) each other’s writing is a good way to connect. #WritingPromptsis used by a range of writers for a range of prompts, whereas the tags below have a single host tweeting prompt words on them, sometimes daily, sometimes on a particular day.
Whether you’re writing, revising, editing or querying, there are specific hashtags you can search to find tips and practical help. (In Twitter, selecting or pasting any hashtag in the search bar will display a feed of only tweets on that tag. All tags below are linked to those feeds).
To Tweet for Writer Help you’re welcome to use #StrictlyWritingor, if you’re searching for resources, #StrictlyWritingResources. For asking for help or tweeting to writers generally, #WritingCommunity is the best umbrella tag to use, which I tend to use with topic specific tags like genre or writing stage tags. Writers tend to tweet any subject on #WritingCommunity now, but the tag helps your tweets get impressions, so its still worth using.
To seek Critical Readers, you can ask who’s interested by tweeting on the Critical Reader Tags below.
To find you genre, put your it/ your subgenre/ audience age (maybe with the word ‘books’) onto a # in the Twitter search bar, and see which variation of relevant tag is most popular.
More Instagram Hashtags
WriterCommunity
Hashtags
#WritersCommunity
#WritersSociety
#WritersHelpingWriters
#WriterSociety
#WriterCommunity
#WritersTogether
Tags to talk to
Writers
#WritersOfInstagram
#WritersOnInstagram
#FellowCreativeMinds
#WritersOfig
#WritersOfInsta
#Writers_Den_
#WriterGram
Author Type Tags
#IndieAuthor
#BlackAuthors
#AuthorsOfColour
#Authoress
#AuthorMom
#WattPadAuthor
#Authorpreneur
Talk to Authors
#AuthorLove
#AuthorsOfIg
#AuthorOfInsta
#AuthorOfInstagram
#AuthorsOfInstagram
#AuthorCommunity
#AuthorsCommunity
Tags to Talk About
Writing
#WritingANovel
#WritingABook
#StrictlyWriting
#JustWrite
Tip/ Help Tags
#WritingAdvice
#WritingTips
#AuthorsSupportingAuthors
Blog Promo Tags
#BlogPost
#InstaBlogger
#WriterBlog
#BookBlogging
#InstaBlogging
#BloggingCommunity
Critical Readers
#BetaReader(s)
#CritiquePartner(s)
Author ContentTags
#AuthorGram
#AuthorQuotes
#AuthorMemes
#AuthorLife
Author Activity Tags
#AuthorTalk
#AuthorVisit
#AuthorEvent
#AuthorInterview
#AuthorSigning
Book Lover Tags
#BookLover
#BookWorm
#BookAddict
#BookNerd
#ILoveBooks
#Bookish
Tags to talk about & or promotebooks
#BooksAndCoffee
#BooksBooksBooks
#BookPhoto
#BookPhotography
#Bookstagram
#AllThingsBookish
#BooksThatMatter
#BookLove
#InstaBooks
#FantasyBooks
(YourGenre)#books
Reader Tags
#BookReview
#ReadersOfInsta
#BookCommunity
#IgReads
#BookLovers
Poetry People Tags
#Poetry_Addicts
#PoetryLovers
#PoetrySociety
#PoetryTribe
#PoetryCommunityOfIg
Poem Tags
#Poetry
#MicroPoetry
#PoetryGram
#PoetryOfIg
#ByMePoetry
#PoetryIsArt
#PoetryPorn
#PoetryIsLife
#PoetryCorner
#PoetryForTheSoul
#PoetryIsNotDead
#PoetryOfInstagram
Instagram has many more tags and new ones developing. Searching any of the above tags and seeing which other tags people posting on them are using will turn up more related hashtags.
G'day! I'm an Aussie (they/ them) who graduated from playing imaginary games in my extensive backyard to writing YA Fantasy. In between educating energetic, enthusiastic minds as excited about life as I am —kids— and adventures in Europe, North America, South-East Asia and locally, I enjoy writing adventures and epic conflicts for the young and young at heart.
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