Writing group

I recently joined a writing group. Every Friday, we join a Zoom call for an hour and a half. We greet each other and briefly describe about what we’ll be working on. We mute ourselves and turn off our video, then work for about 80 minutes. After the time is up, we come back and have a quick debrief about how it went. I have been very productive during these meetings, and am trying to understand why.

When I was completing my PhD thesis, I attended a similar yet more extreme version of a writing group: a thesis bootcamp. For two days, we met in a big room, each with a little desk space allocated. There were some seminars about writing styles, researching help, and how to take effective breaks (as well as stretching and yoga sessions). Other than these sessions and meal breaks, we worked on our theses. The atmosphere was contagious; being surrounded by like-minded, dedicated researchers working diligently on their writing was extremely motivating to keep writing when the boredom set in. Over that weekend I scaffolded my thesis, and devised the roadmap for finishing writing it.

The writing group has a similarly motivating effect. I think there are three main reasons why I find it so effective.

1) Intentionality.
When I block off 90 minutes in my calendar for the writing group, I am telling myself and my co-workers that that time is unavailable for anything other than writing. If the researchers in my group come to ask me a question, I ask if it can wait as I’m in a meeting (including pointing to the Zoom call). This signals to them that my time is taken, but also gives them a concrete time to come back.

2) Limited time.
Not only am I telling myself that the 90 minute session is a sacred booking that must be respected, I am telling myself that I have only 90 minutes to work on the task. It forces me to select an achievable, discrete task that I can accomplish in that session. This time-boxing adds a level of focus that I do not otherwise see. If I have the whole day to chip away at the same task, then I might start working on other tasks too. When I feel a little bored, or am struggling to find a way to express a thought, then I can turn away and start something else. When the time is limited, and I have to get the task done during the session, then I find it much easier to work exclusively on the given task.

3) Accountability.
At the start of the session, I make a public commitment to work on a given task. I tell the others in the group what it is I will be working on. After the session, I give a quick summary of how it went and whether I achieved what I set out to achieve. While no one is watching my screen while I’m working, I know that if don’t work on the task, then I will have to explain that I didn’t finish what I said I would. There is no cost to failing here. If I didn’t manage to complete my task, there is no damage to my career or monetary punishment associated.¹ But I have made a statement to the group about what I plan to do, and that is enough to tell my subconscious that the task is important.

Interestingly, I had dismissed writing groups as unnecessary. At the end of the bootcamp, they suggested people join a ‘shut up and write’ group. These are regular meetings at a coffee shop, with the same idea: tell people what you’re about to do, do it, then tell them how it went. The idea of packing up my computer, travelling to a coffee shop, sitting in a noisy and distracting environment to write, then packing back up and returning to my desk seemed unproductive. I do think the work performed would have be more improved for the three reasons discussed above, but the time-cost of travel meant I never tried them. This COVID-19 impacted world has opened the doors to remote meetings in a fantastic way. I get all of the benefits of the writing group, with none of the downsides of having to travel to a cafe.

So, if you haven’t tried a writing group, I highly recommend giving it a go.