What Facebook Community Notes Taught Me About Being a Better Author
I’m going to let you folks into one of the dark corners of my life today.
We all have those dusty, dark corners we try to keep tucked away out of the spotlight, right? We know that if people got a glimpse into them, they might look at us differently or shake their heads in disgust at us.
Today, because you all have been loyal supporters, I want to escort you into one of those dark and dusty places I keep reserved for the people closest to me.
My name is Kristen, and I am obsessed with reporting fake information and requesting community notes on Facebook.
I know. I know. Some of you are probably ready to hit that unsubscribe button right now, but before you do, let me explain my addiction and why it matters to you as an author.
When Everything I Thought I Knew Fell Apart
For those of you who don’t know my faith history, I grew up in a pseudo-fundamentalist, majorly evangelical, exceptionally legalistic church. I drank the Kool-Aid by the gallon. I was convinced we were the only ones who were going to be in heaven. My goal was to save all the lost souls, especially those souls who had been led down a crooked path by all of those denominations teaching all of that faulty doctrine. I memorized cherry-picked scriptures I wielded as weapons with the best of them.
Until it all fell apart, my family got booted out the doors, and I found myself spiritually homeless.
The good news is we weren’t spiritually homeless for long. I never lost faith in God. I worked through a season of faith deconstruction, and I eventually wrote Breathing Again—a whole book on faith reconstruction.
See, for so many years, I trusted the teachings from people in my church setting without question. I believed their theology was correct simply because they told me it was. I bought into their interpretations as the only “truth” because they convinced me to.
While many of the core beliefs I was taught turned out to hold up to fact-checking, many of them didn’t. They were just manmade ideas passed down in the church from generation to generation and taught as the gospel.
What Deconstruction Taught Me About Writing
The lessons I learned during those tumultuous years are the same lessons I apply to my writing.
Deconstruction taught me something I wish more writers understood: confidence and certainty are not the same thing as accuracy. Just because an idea has been repeated a thousand times doesn’t mean it’s true. Just because a respected voice said it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be examined.
I research and fact-check everything. I read different theologians, research different interpretations, dig into the original text, and make sure the words I put out for public consumption aren’t just things I think, things I’ve heard, or things I can’t back up with research.
And that’s exactly what I want to talk to you about today—because the same principle applies to every author writing in every niche.
Why?
Because the biggest disservice we can do for our readers is feed them information that’s simply based on something we heard or something we assume to be true.
We’re all guilty of this at times. We start a sentence with “I heard that…” or we lead with something like “I think…”
While those statements are fine in casual conversation with friends, they can be genuinely dangerous when we’re writing to serve our readers—because our readers trust us, and that trust is only as solid as our research.
Three Ways to Build Trust with Your Readers
Over the years, I’ve developed a few habits that help me slow down and make sure I’m serving my readers well.
Find Out What the Experts Are Saying
This doesn’t mean you have to have a PhD in your subject matter or cite twelve peer-reviewed studies in every blog post. It means that before you state something as fact, you take ten minutes to find out if it actually is one.
Google Scholar exists. PubMed exists. Reputable books written by people who have spent their careers studying the thing you’re writing about exist. Use them.
If you’re writing about trauma, find out what trauma therapists actually say about it. If you’re writing about church history, read church historians. If you’re writing about grief, look at what grief researchers have documented.
Your personal experience is valuable—I mean that—but it’s even more valuable when it’s anchored to something beyond your own story.
Reach Out to the Professionals Around You
Here’s something most authors don’t think about: you don’t have to know everything. You just have to know who does.
You probably have a doctor, a counselor, a pastor, a lawyer, or a teacher in your circle somewhere. Those people are resources. A quick email or DM that says, “Hey, I’m writing about X—can I ask you a couple of questions?” takes about three minutes to send.
Most professionals are genuinely flattered to be asked.
And if someone isn’t in your circle yet? That’s what the internet is for. Find the experts in your space, follow them, and don’t be afraid to reach out. The worst they can say is no.
Run It Past a Writing Buddy
Fresh eyes catch things your own brain won’t.
When you’ve been staring at your own words long enough, you stop seeing them accurately. You start reading what you meant to write instead of what you actually wrote.
A writing buddy—someone who knows your work and isn’t afraid to push back—is one of the most practical tools in your arsenal.
This doesn’t have to be a formal critique partner. It can be another author friend who reads a draft and texts you, “Hey, are you sure about that statistic?”
Sometimes that’s all it takes.
The Bottom Line
Here’s the bottom line: your readers trust you.
That’s not a small thing.
They opened your email, clicked your link, and gave you their time. The least we can do—all of us—is make sure we’ve done our homework before we ask them to believe something we haven’t verified ourselves.
My Facebook reporting habit might be a little obsessive. Fine. I’ll own that.
But the instinct behind it—the one that says misinformation does real damage and we have a responsibility to push back on it—that one I stand behind completely.
Your readers deserve the same.
Give them your real experience and your best research. That combination is what builds the kind of trust that turns a casual reader into a loyal one.
In a world where everyone is fighting for attention, trust may be the most valuable thing an author can build.
Reflection Questions
When was the last time you fact-checked something you wrote before you published it?
Do you have a go-to expert or professional you could reach out to when you need to verify information in your niche?
Is there a writing buddy in your life who can give you honest feedback—and if not, where might you find one?
I write in two spaces. A Seat at the Table is where I explore faith, healing, and making room for honesty after it’s been made complicated. Ink & Intention is for writers who want to show up with clarity, discernment, and integrity—especially online.
I’m also the author of Breathing Again and several guided journals, and I work with writers who want thoughtful, grounded support as they find their voice and shape what comes next.
If you’re a writer looking for thoughtful encouragement, practical strategy, and honest conversations about the writing life, you’re also welcome to join us inside The Visible Author Facebook Community.
If something here resonated, you’re welcome to explore more at your own pace. You can find everything in one place at KristenNeighbarger.com.
