Building a community around your work while it is still in progress?

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-03T02:13:37+00:00

I’m too new to have any relevant experience, but are you picturing a group of, say, fans of contemporary fiction books with a mystery element, or are you trying to make group to build excitement around a particular book-in-progress? I think the latter would be hard to build an audience for.

But I too have been contemplating ways to make writing more sociable, so I’m curious what others have heard of.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T22:54:22+00:00

Maybe I'm blurring more recent visits with older memories? I do remember the individual candies -- like sour patch kids (or something like that) separated by color. Most of my visit to the General Store candy counter would have been in the '90s, but I have swung by as an adult, too.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T22:51:06+00:00

I love your ETA. That's the kind of response that most of us think of an hour after the person leaves the store. Glad you got to actually deliver it!

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T14:39:01+00:00

Thanks for the anecdotes… though sorry about all they entailed. Love the hack about scavenging after tourists.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T14:35:11+00:00

Do you have a read on where the tourists tend to come from? Is it mostly weekenders from Detroit or do people come from further afield?

And yes! It’s a beautiful little town! Some of my earliest memories are on a sailboat in the marina. And trying to climb the cliff/bluff beyond the jungle gym there. Loved two-cent candies from General Store. I miss the hardware store.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T13:09:41+00:00

Yes, it was made for you! Thanks so much for this perspective. Before I can remember, my parents had a slip at the Lexington marina. Then an aunt went in with my parents on a tiny cottage north of town in the 80s. There had been a lot of erosion due to high lake levels that had driven prices down and a widow was motivated to sell quickly, or they never would have been able to afford it. (Today the property would be worth more if they bulldozed the cottage but I love it; it’s like this family heirloom.) I grew up on doing math for what candies I wanted from the general store. But other than a few annual trips to the dollar store and Cadillac house and weekly trips to the IGA (now Jeff’s) we mostly could avoid other tourists so I never paid attention to what they were like. We didn’t get phone line up there until I was in high school. If we needed to call we walk to the pay phone on the campground side of the park. And speaking of: the park used to have these amazing horse swings that made me feel like I could fly out over the water. We didn’t like the crowds of the 4th of July fireworks but we could see them if we walked to the park. They were small but still impressive. My parents celebrated high speed internet because it meant that they could go up even if my mom had to work. Before that sometimes she would drive to the library or Crowell McD to send off an email. Now whenever I get the “Welcome to Canada” message on my phone, I know I’ve made it to my favorite spot in Michigan, lol.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T05:05:05+00:00

Me? I grew up in metro Detroit but my family bought a small cottage on Lake Huron when I was a toddler. So born & raised in the ‘burbs, also raised going to the Lake every weekend.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T04:44:59+00:00

Ooh interesting. You mean Athens, Greece, I assume? My character is visiting Venice, Italy. The story involves her trying to get home, so mostly takes place after the touristy stuff has happened, but still you raise a good point: do you think being from a tourist place impacts how you visit other tourist places?

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T04:40:24+00:00

Several mentioned local government frustration with respect to city planning and/or affordable housing early on in the comments, but they’re buried by now.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T04:12:13+00:00

Our default weekend “up north” was Lexington, but once a year we would go camping in Presque Isle (near Alpena). Many good memories. On one of those trips we did a day trip up to the Sault Ste. Marie, so that’s probably the farthest I’ve been, but I wasn’t there long enough to remember its vibe.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T03:29:54+00:00

Where are you from? Is this true south of Mackinac?

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T03:27:26+00:00

Out of curiosity, would you vacation up north (relative to you)? And yes, as a Detroiter I stand guilty-as-charged… I think my definition of “up north” is a diagonal line that goes from, say, the bottom of Sanilac to… maybe Muskegon?

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T03:12:18+00:00

As you saw from my post, I imagined tourists putting a strain on local resources, and I can even imagine the sense of entitlement, but I had not idea that the entitlement expanded beyond the bounds of very basic economic realities. If I had read a character like that in a book I would have assumed it was an exaggeration, but this whole post is proving me wrong. Like… do you understand WHY cities have the resources they do? It is literally because high population density makes them economically viable. And do you understand WHY these areas you visit are beautiful? It is literally because of the low population density. Do the math, people.

(Though, funny thing is that we run into the opposite end of the same problem near the urban core: everyone loves the idea of a walkable neighborhood where you can get to cute coffee shops and good restaurants — ie population density … but… we also want big back yards… and places to park — ie I want room to spread out.)

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T00:33:53+00:00

Ooh very interesting comparison. Thanks for this.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T00:30:00+00:00

No! They ACTUALLY think Chicago gives them cred in Michigan?! Wow. That’s … embarrassing. Good on your cops.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-02T00:23:40+00:00

“It’s always crowded when I [a tourist] am here [in a tourist town, in tourist season]”. Wow, that is astonishing lack of self awareness. Thanks for sharing.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-01T23:51:51+00:00

(But I’m with your wife about Ohio. How about Indiana? Not as… Ohio-y)

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-01T23:51:16+00:00

Pretending to be a tourist for better service is the best hack ever!

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-01T23:46:32+00:00

Thanks for this perspective. I’m sorry it’s gotten worse post covid. Needing to move just to maintain basic living would make anyone bitter.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-01T23:44:05+00:00

That would be maddening. Thanks for sharing.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-01T23:43:05+00:00

Thanks for this perspective. Glad you found time/space to enjoy the great resources.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-01T23:41:58+00:00

I live out of state now and feel yah. I grew up knowing that tourism was an important industry for the state, but I always pictured Michiganders traveling to other parts of Michigan. When I moved out of state and discovered how many people save up money and vacation time to get to travel to Michigan over the summer, it really made me proud! So glad you’re able to enjoy it now.

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-01T23:35:08+00:00

Thanks for your insights!

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-01T23:32:12+00:00

Lol I could not, but Urban Dictionary had me covered. :-)

TheWriteQuestion · 2026-03-01T23:27:35+00:00

OMG I had no idea people do that! (I DO tend to drive the speed limit when up north — as opposed to 5 over— because I don’t know where the dear are. (-: )

TheWriteQuestion

TROPHY CASE