A Hipsy’s Creative Journey

I started a writing group, a “Shut Up and Write” writing group.

If you don’t know who or what “Shut up and Write” is, let me enlighten you. They are a nonprofit organization that encourages writers worldwide to write together. The structure is simple: come together, shut up, and write together for an hour, give no feedback, all writers welcome.

I initially found the group during COVID and started attending the local online group for a while. It was a great idea, and it got me writing my blog post every week again. However, over time, I stopped attending. Something would always pop up at the time that I wanted to write, and hopping on Zoom became less frequent.

While I wanted to be someone who considered themselves a writer, life started happening. I stopped going. Eventually, I stopped writing altogether AGAIN. Everything seemed more important than writing, so I started ignoring it altogether. ‘I wasn’t a failed writer if I never wrote anything,’ I would tell myself. I figured if I just avoided writing, I would be able to snuff out this dream I had of becoming a published author.

Dreaming a big dream is not so easy to snuff out. It’s especially hard when it’s a dream you have as a child. Somehow, life always brings you back. Back to the same place of…you needing to follow your passions. I believe unconsciously, this is because we know that the world needs what we have to share. Which led me to the writing group I’ve started.

At the beginning of this year, I began to reconnect with my creative side, writing and painting. I decided to take a year off social media to write my book. I’ve always said I would write it. Though I tried and even had the time now, I was not doing it consistently. But at least I was writing again. Baby steps, I told myself.

To help me stay consistent, I searched Meetup for a writing group to join again. I found one, but the distance from me made the hour that I spent there writing not worth the drive. After the third time of attending, I left thinking, ‘What if I just started my own writing group?’

The gods of algorithms must have heard me. The next day, I saw an ad on Meetup. It was for the ‘Shut up and Write!’ group looking for a host to start their own group. How mysterious and serendipitous that I was thinking about starting my own group, and this shows up? I had just turned down another offer from someone else to start a networking group. I told them it wasn’t the right time. I didn’t want to spend my energy on something I didn’t absolutely love. This was especially true if I was going to commit to it every week.

After giving it much thought, I signed up. It checked all the boxes. I can start the group wherever I want, aka 5 minutes from my house. It was something I loved to do, and if no one showed up, I would at least be committing to something I should be doing anyway.

I attended onboarding. Before leaving the Zoom call, the person leading the Zoom asked me, “So Alice, what’s going to be the date you start your first event?”…Uhhhhh I have no clue, I responded, I have to find a venue first and pick a day of the week.

Monday was taken by the other group farther from me. Wednesdays and Thursdays were prime networking nights for my day job. So it had to be a Tuesday. Which is actually perfect because it’s my favorite weekday. As if the universe was giving me her blessing, the night before my first event on Tuesday was the full moon. I did my moon rituals and set my intentions for the group the night before, and I felt excited about what was to come. It was a good sign.

The first event I held was at a restaurant bar 5 minutes from where I stayed. My two friends (gods bless them for supporting) showed up, and one other person. That one other person was better than no one, so I was grateful. One person is better than none, especially since there is something special about connecting with other writers. It makes you feel less alone in your writing.

Tuesday nights are now my writing nights. I use the time to work on my book, write my blog post or write about whatever I want if I’m in the mood. Oh, I get to meet new people and network while doing it. I now officially have a writing schedule, and I couldn’t be prouder of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and committing to something I love that I can include others in as well.

I am honestly so excited to continue hosting, and every week the group slowly grows as more people show up. It’s not a lot yet, but I know that I’m off to the right start. I’ve met some pretty incredible people and I’m able to share this space with others. I’m writing again, which is perfect, and inspiring those who show up to follow their writing passion and that’s the cherry on the cake.

I love being able to start my own community; it’s absolutely perfect. It’s a start to a great adventure in the right direction. I can just feel it. 😍

Until next time…my fellow wanderers, I’ll be out here, writing and inspiring one day at a time.

A.A