What keeps you from writing a new screenplay, TV pilot, or pitch? Or finishing the one you started last year? Or composing those dreaded query letters?

You might be waiting to find the time to write. Have a million reasons to procrastinate. Feel intimidated by the words FADE IN. Or find writing alone uninspiring and, well, lonely.

I was experiencing most of the above in January 2021, when I discovered Amy McGuire's "Friday Study Hall" and Louisa Burton's "Sunday Writers' Cafe" Zooms through posts on Stage 32's Writers' Room Private Lounge (the Sunday cafe has since ended and been replaced). These cafes proved so beneficial that I started Tuesday and Thursday cafes and later took over the Friday cafe.

Currently, there are five cafes each week. Melanie Collup hosts a Wednesday cafe, and Elizabeth Amato hosts a Saturday cafe. (See the cafes' hours below.)

WHAT IS A WRITERS' CAFE?

The format of these Zoom meetings is similar to writer groups that meet in coffee shops. You greet each other, share writing victories or challenges, and state what you're writing that day. Then you hunker down and write. At the end of the 2-hour session, you share what progress you made or problems you encountered. Fellow writers offer congratulations, advice, and encouragement.

It's simple. Yet effective. Here's why...

A DEDICATED TIME TO WRITE

Without a deadline or a paid customer staring you in the face, it's easy to succumb to life's demands (kids, pets, job, housework) and distractions (social media, texts, that new streaming show). You end up putting your writing "baby" in the corner until you can "find the time."

The problem is time isn't "found." It must be carved out of your day and set aside for what's important in your life.

Writers' Cafes offer writers a set day and time to schedule their writing!

Cafe regular Gabrielle Nehring notes, "The Cafes keep me focused and on track. They are the highlight of my writing day, providing me with confidence and energy to keep pushing forward."

Having three or four scheduled times each week to write was a game-changer for me. I began to write also on non-cafe days. When meeting a big goal, I write every day. Shortly after joining the cafes, I outlined a one-hour TV series and wrote the pilot in 6 weeks, in time to enter it in a contest. It was a quarterfinalist, and I was hooked on cafes.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Cafes offer effective accountability. It's easy to break a promise or goal you make to yourself, but not so easy when you make it face-to-face to your peers.

"The writer's cafes help me stay accountable and force me to set short-term, attainable goals," explains Petula Miller. "This daily goal setting comes with built-in accountability partners who I can also encourage and stand with."

Being accountable to my fellow café writers puts me at the keyboard when I'd otherwise snooze in bed some days. And once I start writing, it's easy to keep writing after the cafe. That is a big factor in my writing and revising three and a half feature screenplays in the past 12 months. Thanks, cafe friends!

But Nathan Proctor wins the award for accountability. He set a goal of writing a short film, from concept to 5 or more pages, every day for a month. Those of us in the cafe were blown away by the depth of his concepts and characters each day. When he reached day 30, he wasn't just still standing. He expanded his goal to 100 days. And he'll make it.

NETWORKING (NO LONGER ALONE)

Screenwriting can be lonely, especially outside of LA or a major city. Thanks to cafes on Zoom, writers from around the world can meet face-to-face (virtually), write alongside each other, and build a network of meaningful relationships.

My cafes have welcomed screenwriters from Canada, Mexica, Africa, France, and all parts of the United States. No one needs to write alone.

Cara Rogers shares, "I live in a very isolated area [of Kansas] and have no one close by that understands what I go through in my screenwriting journey. They want to help, but their eyes glaze over when I try to explain. Without the Writers' Cafes to provide that comradery, I'm pretty sure I would have given up a long time ago. This group helps me see my goals as realistic and attainable, so I can keep moving forward."

ENCOURAGEMENT

Before the cafes, I was most productive during Stage32's November Write Club, owing to encouraging posts from other writers. Now, I have that sort of encouragement almost daily in the Writers' cafes.

Monica La Vella agrees. "The support from other writers has been huge, and even though we meet online, I see them more than I see any of my friends in real life! We celebrate each other's successes and rise together. It's been one of the best parts of being a writer."

Gabrielle felt that support when her pitch led to a request for a script that she hadn't yet written. With encouragement from her cafe friends, she wrote the feature script in the allotted 3 days! An amazing achievement that inspires her fellow writers!

NOURISHMENT

Cafes nourish writers in additional ways. Louisa gave an amazing tutorial on creating pitch decks with the Canva app. Elizabeth hosts logline workshops. Writers listen to each other's pitches in Zoom Breakout rooms. We have stress-relieving pajama parties and dance breaks during Melanie's cafes.

We share writing tips, resources, scripts, and contest/fellowship information. Petula adds, "Often someone in the room shares a blog post, a class, or a helpful link, etc., that we can all appreciate."

Andy Silverman sums it up best. "Everyone is supportive, informative, and friendly. Not only have I gotten some great information that has helped me immensely, but I've also made a lot of friends that I look forward to seeing and following their projects as they progress. Martha makes everyone feel like family. I recommend visiting the cafe as much as possible."

CAFES SCHEDULE

The Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday cafes are from 10 am-12 pm Pacific Time. The Wednesday cafe is 12 pm-2 pm Pacific Time, and the Saturday cafe is 11 am-1 pm Pacific Time. Zoom links are posted each of these days in the Writers' Room Private Lounge. (Note: Times are subject to change and cancellation, so check for the post in the lounge each day.)

We look forward to seeing you in the cafe!

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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