Shut Up & Write, the new cure for your writer’s block

Nov 27, 2012 | by Laura | Art, Event

About the author

Laura is a 25 year old nonpracticing psychologist. As a hopeless romantic she loves to write, dream and wander around the city looking for new adventures and inspirations. Stay tuned for an inside peek into the daily life of one of Amsterdam's inhabitants!

Do you sometimes experience feelings of anxiety while writing? No inspiration for your thesis or essay? Can’t seem to come up with an original Facebook post? Well, here is a remedy that will shut you up and make you write. Based on a concept in New York, 23-year-old student Jonas Kooyman exported the idea of public writing in small groups to our little capital.

Writing kick-start

Shut Up & Write is a new way for young authors to come together and inspire each other while working on their individual project. Each month for one full hour they work on their novel, poem or thesis in complete silence. The idea is to fight the solitary confinement the profession of writing often implies. Main symptoms: loneliness, feelings of isolation, stress and the occasional writer’s block. I went to take a look at the second edition, in De Balie. After a short introduction, I decided to make use of this opportunity and started writing my much-anticipated memoires.

A place where there’s no pressure and you can’t fail, like an AA meeting for writeaholics.

Although it was hard to focus in the busy restaurant, it suddenly felt like I got stuck in a web of inspiration. As if we were all working on one common goal, there was a mutual feeling of togetherness in this small group. The fact that you’re surrounded by other writers motivates you to start working and stop worrying about random other stuff. I remember not being able to write one single word on my thesis, when the sweaty, disappointed face of my professor came to mind. The Shut Up & Write meeting, on the other hand, felt like a save haven. A place where there’s no pressure and you can’t fail, like an AA meeting for writeaholics. For all you students and writers out there, this could be a good prevention programme for future creative blockages. Next edition, get out of the house and to the bar. You might actually be more productive.