By Alex Stone, author of best-selling psychological thrillers set in Dorset

Writing doesn’t have to be solitary.

But for a long time, it was.

For me, writing began as survival — scribbled poems in notebooks to cope with a childhood that didn’t always make space for sensitivity. Later, it became lyrics whispered on anxious bus rides, and then chapters written through the quiet agony of burnout. I didn’t write to get published. I wrote to escape. And maybe even to exist. To be ‘me’.

That story — the one I’m sharing in the Writing Through It blog series — is how I became a writer.

But this story?
This is how Author Events began.

Why Author Events?

After years of writing alone and in secret, not really believing I had anything to say that would interest anyone else, I went to my first writers’ conference — a Romantic Novelists’ Association event — and everything changed.

I found my people.

Writers who talked about books the way I do. Who lit up when discussing plot twists and character arcs. Who got it. For the first time, I didn’t have to explain or tone down who I was. I felt seen. I felt accepted. I felt like I could contribute — not by masking, but by showing up as myself.

Those events gave me more than knowledge. They gave me momentum.

I realised that the community we need as writers doesn’t have to wait for the big stages. It can start small — with six people at a café. That’s exactly how Author Events started.
And it’s grown into something I never imagined.

What Author Events Has Become

What began as casual coffee meetups evolved into full-day author marketplaces, writing panels, book launches, networking nights, and festival partnerships — all with one goal:

To help writers move from isolation to connection, from draft to launch, from unsure to empowered.

And now, this guest blog is the online home for that mission.

What You’ll Find Here

This is where we:

• Share event recaps, takeaways, and author spotlights
• Publish guest posts through our The Write Path series — stories of real writers navigating real journeys
• Offer behind-the-scenes guidance for launches, talks, marketplaces, and more
• Invite you to connect, collaborate, and be seen

Because writing the book is only part of the path. Sharing it — speaking about it, standing up in a library or bookshop or festival hall — is another challenge altogether.
And that’s where Author Events comes in.

We’re your stepping stone. Your cheer squad. Your bridge between the blank page and the public stage.

What Full Membership Gives You

When you join as a member, you’re not just subscribing to content.
You’re becoming part of a working, growing, writer-led ecosystem.

Full members get:

• Access to all exclusive posts and how-tos
• Priority for marketing features, promotions, and speaker slots
• A profile in on http://www.authorevents.co.uk
• Opportunities to publish in The Write Path, join panels, and be featured
• Visibility across our website, newsletter, and events
• And most of all, a place where your voice matters

Why The Write Path?

The name is a quiet play on something we know as writers:

There is no one “right” path to publication.

Some of us self-publish. Some land book deals. Some write for healing, not shelves. And yet we all belong in this world. The Write Path is our way of sharing that truth — together.

Every post in the series is a real writer’s experience. Not polished marketing, but honest journeys. Struggles. Wins. First launches. Quiet resilience.

It’s hope, in story form.

Let’s Walk This Path Together

If you’re new here: welcome.
If you’ve been part of the journey already: thank you.

Author Events was built for writers like us — creative, introverted, curious, tired, driven, and all still figuring it out.
It’s a space to connect. To grow. And to be seen — even on the days you feel invisible.

We started with a notebook. We now have a room.

And this blog?
This is where we share what happens inside it.

See you on The Write Path.

— Alex
Founder of Author Events
Still writing through it

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