Virtual co-writing

Before the pandemic hit there were quite some things I couldn’t imagine doing online. Like joining (and enjoying!) a virtual dance party.

At first it seemed absurd: dancing alone in my room, watching two dozens of other people dance on my screen — what’s the point of that? Why not simply dance on my own when we can’t meet in person?

But I had to realize that sharing a dance online is different than dancing alone. Connection is possible even through the tiny Zoom squares. We don’t need to stand next to each other to feel each other’s presence.

And the same goes for co-working. We gather together to work because then we focus better and procrastinate less. It’s partly peer pressure and partly inspiration: when everyone around you is working, the easiest thing to do is to work as well.

That’s why students go study to libraries and freelancers patronize co-working places.

At first sight virtual co-working might sound as absurd as a virtual dance party. But actually it’s pretty cool — maybe even better than the in-person original as there are no disturbances through noise and movement of people around you.

Virtual co-working is ideal for writing

Since the beginning of the pandemic I have moved my writing retreats online and launched the Write Up Your Paper online course where participants wrote the whole draft of their paper in Zoom sessions — in two weeks. And it worked really well!

This is what one participant noted after the drafting weeks:

Drafting in a [virtual] group gives you the impression of being in a classroom and this motivates you to write and to respect the timing. It forces you to respect the appointment and to give more importance to the task of writing (that very often comes after the other things to do).

Schedule

That’s right — you also get a chance to ask me questions and get help with your writing struggles!