Writers know a thing or two about combating that badass, FOMO.
That’s Fear of Missing Out, the nagging feeling telling you to get out of the house, go to that party, catch up with people just because.
If you’re like many aspiring writers, the sense in sitting at home in front of the keyboard gets overrun at times with that wish: To see the city instead of putting it on the page. To talk craft instead of honing it.
MWA’s New York chapter launched a stealthy new experiment in April: To gather our members and their writer friends, students, and associates for a free and friendly Write-In.
The premise is simple: Show up, buy yer own coffee, get some serious word-counts on the page.
But sauntering into Think Coffee, the large and central coffee place in the West Village, we first few Write-Inners navigated the sudden thrill of discovering our people — our fellow authors and editors, a cross-section of new enthusiasm and old-hand talent, all sitting along wooden refectory tables and getting stuff done.
Was it weird to take our solitary writing habits and make them, well, social?
Lokke Heiss, novelist and essayist, didn’t think so.
Sitting down beside the chapter’s Poe logo — propped visibly on the table — he jumped right into chatting to a newcomer he hadn’t met before at MWA: “What are you working on?”
Maggie MacAlpine was just one of the non-members who, through the Write-In, spent her Sunday hanging out with a few pros.
“I’m working on a novel — Dorothea,” she said later, trying out the title. As Write-Ins grow, new and aspiring writers are especially welcome. Building a vibrant but informal writing community is the goal — and in this case, one that’s a moveable feast that widens our MWA circle.
Other MWA regulars showed up with work of varying sorts: Paul Stevens of Quirk Books caught up on his work reading; Nancy Hightower, author and reviewer, worked on a public talk she had to give that day.
And proving that writers need a place to plug in when they’re jetting between cities, novelist David Swatling pulled up a spare chair after arriving in town from Amsterdam. Edgar® week was underway. “I was just lucky to catch this,” he said.
The Write-In schedule is loosely once a month — and as we grow, we’re adding Write-Ins across the boroughs. Keep an eye out: Follow #MWANYWriteIn on Facebook and Twitter to find out new dates and see who’s jumping onboard.
We encourage any of you to join us in our moveable feast. And forward this post to friends you think would want to be invited.
Future dates may include a little light book reading and chances to have some of MWA’s favorite stars give a little writing advice.
The first session stretched from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. — six hours of concentrated writing time. Maggie hit a 1,177 word count. The rest of us could say we wrote all day long, swapped stories and thoughts, and watched surreptitiously how we each create — all in this solitary pursuit together.
The next MWA New York Write-In meets Sunday, May 17, 10 a.m. at Think Coffee, 73 8th Ave., between 13th and 14th Streets.
—Juliet Fletcher