Inkslingers
Writing Workshops, Retreats, Mentoring

Pyjama Writing – an experiment and an invitation

The article below this box (about the origins of Pyjama Writing) was originally posted just prior to New Years Eve – at the beginning of 2021

Update:

Pyjama Writing has continued every month since January 2021.  We’re coming up on 5 years now. Novels have been written.  Books have been published. Morning pages get done, every day. Poetry collections have been assembled.  The work that was being avoided, is now completed.

The original concept soon changed to EVERY weekday morning (Monday to Friday) with a once a month extra half hour for writers to stay on and talk about their burning questions.

Writers have found this practice incredibly useful in getting their work done. (See some testimonials here.)

That includes me and my work – I used these companioned, productive silent hours to grapple with whatever writing project I’m having the most trouble with that day. Sometimes it’s my novel, sometimes it’s a press release or newsletter, or a grant application. Whatever the project, the silent presence and support of other writers working on their writing helps me keep my butt in the chair, no matter how much resistance I feel.

Advance registration is required so that I know who to send the zoom links to.

Click here for some guidelines to make the most of a PJ writing session.

Pyjama writing is always free, but if you find the space useful and would like to make a donation, I invite to support Amherst Writers social justice programming.

AWA offers affinity group writing workshops to provide connection with a community of peers, to process experiences and, perhaps, distress, and to support self-care.

Current Affinity Groups are:

AWA will be adding new affinity groups in 2026. Check their main page “The Power of Story” for existing and upcoming options.

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Original post:

For at least the first three months of 2021, I’m trying an experiment to make myself accountable to my big writing projects. I’m inviting you to join me. Read on to see how this is going to work.

Often people in my Sanctuaries and workshops say that the only time they actually write is when they’re in a writing group with me and others. These days that’s true for me too, unfortunately. I’ve been incredibly busy over these Covid months. Once I switched my writing workshops, manuscript mentoring and my therapy practice to online, my business hours swelled full to bursting with appointments. My non-business hours are filled with reading for my clients and workshop participants.

The only time I do any writing for myself over these last few months has been in workshops — and I have generated new work that I’m very happy about. But the pieces are short – poems and short flash prose pieces.

Over the pandemic I and many of my writing friends have participated in Emily Stoddard’s marvelous Hummingbird Writing Session’s and Vicki Pinkerton’s inspiring Pot-of-Gold pop-up writing sessions – just 15 minutes of generative writing time – no feedback, just something to kick off pens (or fingers) and GO!

I’m a huge believer in prompted writing in safe space to push us in directions we’d never think of going in if it weren’t for those prompts. I’m a devoted follower of the AWA method and the way that safe and supportive space for newly developed pieces can help us believe in our ability as writers when our inner critic voices are being as mean as they possibly can to persuade us NOT to make ourselves vulnerable on the page. And I know how productive an AWA workshop can be for first draft work — you don’t have to write to the prompts — you can use the space to work on your novel or memoir.

But these days I have a couple of big projects I need to work on: the second draft of my novel, and my Creative Non-Fiction project on the ways in which the modalities of writing, psychotherapy, and mindfulness meditation overlap (and don’t) when undertaking a journey of insight and healing.

Both of these projects need sustained, bum-in-chair time to concentrate – at least an hour at a time, regularly – so that I can hold it all in my head.

The only time I have managed to get some of that work done is in a Mastermind group with Jen Louden that I was a part of for 3 months, Writing Sprints with the Creative Academy for Writers and on focusmate.com. (If the times I’m offering don’t work for you, you could check those out).

So I’ve decided I needed to create that concentrated space for myself and invite others to join me if they too would benefit from an hour, regularly, of uninterrupted concentration on their writing or editing.

There’s a passage in the book W‎ild Mind where Natalie Goldberg talks about making a date with a friend to write, even though her friend is unsure that she can make it. The passage has stuck with me for years. I looked it up again as I was designing this experiment.

If I was going to get any writing done, I knew I had to make a date to meet someone after I taught.

I called Sawnie. “Will you meet me at twelve-thirty at the Garden?” –

“I’m not sure I can make it,” she said.

“Never mind. Don’t tell me either way. I’ll make believe you are meeting me and if you don’t show up, I won’t expect you but I’ll be there.”

That Monday, I tore away from the lunch crowd because I had to meet Sawnie. As soon as I got there, I began to write. Sawnie stopped by two hours later to say hi.

I said, “Listen, tomorrow I’ll meet you here at one.” I held up my hand. “Don’t tell me whether you’ll be here or not. I’ll pretend you will and I’ll be here.”

~Natalie Goldberg, Wild Mind, p. 77

I’m taking a leaf from Natalie’s book. Three times a week I’m inviting you to join me in my zoom room for silent focused time working on your big project.

  • Monday evenings, 7:30 p.m. EST
  • Wednesday mornings, 7:30 a.m. EST
  • Saturday mornings, 7:30 a.m. EST

(NOTE FROM ONE & A HALF YEARS LATER: a few months after this began, I changed to EVERY weekday morning from 7:30 to 8:30 (still with the 15 minutes of optional chat first). We have kept up that schedule ever since.)

The reason I’m calling these suggestions “Pyjama Writing” is that they’re all outside of regular business hours. Especially the ones in the morning. You’re welcome to show up in your pyjamas, coffee in hand and get down to work before the day begins.

Because I won’t be doing much facilitation for this, beyond providing the space, the guidelines and the company, there is no charge for these. If you would like to make a donation, it will go to Amherst Writers and Artists social justice programming.

To register for one, more, or all of these sessions, please go to the links on this page. Advance registration is required so that I know who to send the zoom links to.

I’ll see you Monday evenings and/or Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Don’t tell me whether you’ll be there or not! I’ll pretend you will and I’ll be there working. 🙂

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Click here for some guidelines to make the most of a PJ writing session:

How to Be Productive in a Pyjama Writing Session