A Writing-Accountability Group is a group of people who agree to meet on a regular schedule to sit and write in companionable silence together. A group like this can meet in-person or online, and it can be an invigorating, energizing, and validating way to keep showing up for your own writing.

These groups work best when clear expectations, logistical decisions, and contingency plans are co-created from the outset. The practices of the group will certainly evolve over time, but that evolution will be smoothest when good communication norms have been established from the beginning.

Some questions to consider:

Do you want to meet online, in-person, or in a combination of these modes?
- If online, video feeds on or off? Cheerful profile pictures? Any other best practices to consider?
What's the easiest, most sustainable way to generate a meeting space (online or otherwise)?
- It's best to ensure that the responsibility for generating the space doesn't fall to just one person.
How often do you want to meet?
- Weekly meetings are great for establishing a comfortable routine, but it can be trickier to get a group of people together on a weekly basis.
How big should your group be?
- 4-5 people is an ideal number. Aim to organize a slightly bigger group than that, as weekly attendance will vary.
For how long (in terms of individual sessions) do you want to meet?
- Anywhere from 60 to 120 minutes can be an excellent length for a session, but much depends on individual schedules and proclivities.
For how long (in terms of calendar duration) do you want to meet?
- It can be helpful to have a planned end-point for the group. If you want to renew the group then, that's fantastic. If the group has come to a natural end at that point, that's also great. What feels reasonable? Two months? A summer? A semester? Is there a writing deadline you're all working towards that might provide a natural endpoint?
How much interaction do you want your group to have each session?
- Some groups simply meet, say hello, write, and say goodbye. Other groups share writing goals and update progress on those goals every meeting. Figure out what approach best suits your group, and iterate as needed!
Who will facilitate each meeting?
- It can be helpful to have one person who is responsible for keeping time and calling the group back together a few minutes before the end of the session. Will you rotate that position among group members?
How (and what!) will you communicate between meetings?
What will you do if the group is not working as you'd hoped?
- It's generally a good idea to speak up sooner rather than later to see if others are feeling the same way. Some small tweaks might make a big difference to group dynamics. It can also be a good idea to build occasional "how is this working for everyone?" conversations into the group schedule to normalize open, healthy communication.
Do you want to write your shared decisions about these questions down somewhere?

One model for a Writing-Accountability Group:

Start each session with a 10-minute check-in. The check-in moment can be a simple hello, an announcement of a writing goal for that session, a short project update, or a cathartic speaking-aloud of a writing-related frustration you'd like to tackle during the session.
Once everyone has checked-in, begin writing!
Start a check-out about 10 minutes before the end of the session. The check-out can be a simple farewell, a summary of how your session went, or a cathartic speaking-aloud of a writing-related frustration you'd like to tackle in the next session.

Ask around!

There are a number of writing-accountability groups already happening on campus under various names. Those might be nice, low-pressure ways to keep your writing going, so ask around your department to see what might already be in place.

A few existing writing-accountability groups at the U of T:

Groups that welcome graduate students in all disciplines:

Student Life's Graduate Writing Groups (see also the Student Life Grad Productivity Groups).
If you're registered with Accessibility Services, consider joining one of the (very well-reviewed!) Accessibility Grad Productivity and Writing Groups.

Discipline-specific groups:

Daniel Newman's Virtual Writing Camp for graduate students at Arts & Science.
If you're an engineering student, join the FASE Graduate Writing Community Quercus site for news on upcoming groups, including the Mondays We Write! program.
If you're in one of the five faculties served by the Health Sciences Writing Centre, you might be interested in its graduate student writing group program called Inked: the Health Sciences Writing Collective (scroll down that page until you reach the "Graduate Student Writing Groups" section.
If you're based at OISE, have a look at the writing support programs described on this Initiatives & Events page; these include Academic Writing Groups and the Thesis in Motion program.