Shut Up and Write
It’s just like it sounds. We meet, anywhere from 2 to 20 people, at a coffee shop or library to socialize for a little while, introduce ourselves and then a timer is set and we write in silence for an hour. There is a leader for each group. There is no requirement for feedback unless of course, want it.
There are also special Shut Up and Writes, a mini-marathon each month where there is dedicated hour and a half to two hours, lunch, and then another hour and a half to two hours of writing. There is even a train ride writing trip where the writers meet and write on Amtrak to San Francisco from Sacramento, do their thing and then write on the way home. It’s about a two-hour trip.
The genres vary including: fantasy, memoirs, children’s books, young adult novels, romance, historical fiction, nonfiction, blogging, video games, journaling, and some people even come to work on cover letters for jobs or homework for school.
There are groups all over the world and in the Sacramento area alone there are over 1,000 members.
Allocating the time to go to Shut Up and Write ensures that I spend at least a couple of hours writing a week. And, I’ve met most of my friends in Sacramento from this like-minded writing group.