Shut Up & Write!

For whatever reason, I am not very productive when trying to write from home. Inspiration comes when I am out somewhere, at a coffee shop or local brewery. One might expect writing to be a solitary endeavor, but writing in the company of other authors is a great way to get your creative juices flowing.

I want to give a shout out to the Shut Up & Write! community. There are several writing groups under the Shut Up & Write! umbrella in my area and they’ve been invaluable to me.

The concept is dead simple: meet up somewhere, usually a coffee shop, and take over a table. Go around the table where everyone says what they’ll be working on, then start a one-hour timer and, just as the community's name implies, shut up and write.

Once the hour is over, go around the table again and say how it went. Sometimes what you end up with at the end of the hour is quite different than what you thought you were going to do at the beginning. And that’s OK.

To be clear, this is a low-pressure environment. You don’t have to read what you wrote to anyone. It’s not a critique circle. Beyond a few words about what you’re working on, you don’t have to share anything.

For me personally, this focused hour-long session is a great way to combat procrastination, writer’s block, or any of the other plagues writers struggle with. The combination of being around other writers and having dedicated time works like magic. The meetups always end up being very productive for me. When the timer starts, it’s time to write.

Not to mention this also gives me a chance to meet other people with a common interest. I made some good friends at these meetups, and everyone is always nice and supportive.

If you are at all interested in writing, my advice is to try a writing group if you haven’t already. You will be pleasantly surprised.