If you’ve been a writer for any length of time, you know the thrill of receiving positive feedback or a monetary reward. Tangible incentives like this are awesome, but giving back can be a great joy, too. If it’s not something you’ve considered, let me explain how I accidentally came to realize that giving back is wonderful, too. This is how it started. One of the platforms I write on is Medium.com. Initially, I shared general life lessons. Then, one day, just for fun, I decided to write about my self-publishing journey. I never would have guessed the amount of positive response I’d receive from my first two articles, which led to many more. In those articles, I often share lessons learned the hard way so other authors’  journeys can be smoother. Eventually, I started a YouTube channel focused on sharing similar things. At first, I didn’t think of those things as giving back, but that’s exactly what they are. If you’d like to give back as a writer but are unsure how to begin, you could consider joining a platform like Medium or starting a YouTube channel. Even a free Blogger blog could work. I have one of those, too, but I’ve found Medium and YouTube to be the best for community building. Whatever you choose, you could simply begin sharing what you know. We all know something.

Other ways to give back exist. For example, if you’re an avid reader, joining as a reviewer on any book review site is perfect. I’ve been doing this for a couple of weeks now and love it. Not only do you have a huge selection of books to choose from, but it also allows you to read books that you wouldn’t normally read. It’s a great way to be inspired and learn something new. A bonus is that the reviewers themselves are reviewed. It’s been so thrilling to receive positive written feedback about my reviews. I love knowing I encouraged other authors. If you’re a writer who is also a self-published author, another way to give back is to help a friend or family member with the publishing of their book(s). It not only cements the things you learned, but also helps someone else realize a goal. I assisted my husband and mother-in-law with their books and appreciated playing a part in their works coming to life. It was also exciting to see how far I’d come in my journey.

Even if you’ve never considered giving back as a writer, it might be worth thinking about how you can, even beyond what I’ve suggested here. One of the benefits of giving back falls in line with an adage: It’s more blessed to give than receive. Beyond that, your confidence rises, and you simply feel good making a difference in another writer’s life. I’ve experienced those benefits myself. Perhaps you’d like to take a moment now to think about which methods of giving back resonate with you and which one you’d like to try first. You might be surprised how enjoyable giving back can be.