If you'd like to maintain a consistent writing/journaling/creative practice and meet new people along the way, I host a free weekly writing circle called Simple + Consistent each Friday in collaboration with a group called Foster.
Below are descriptions of what this circle and Foster are, in my own words. If you're interested, you can select times and sign up here. I'm also available by email (joel@joelc.io) to field any questions.
Whether we personally know each other or not, I invite you to join us. I host this circle as a welcoming space for steady creative practice and to make the internet a slightly more friendly and human-centric place.
Cheers,
Joel
P.S. - While Foster offers other paid options to support writers (cohort-based writing programs, professional editing, retreats, etc.), this particular circle is free and open to all in perpetuity and you won't be pressured to buy anything. I run this circle for free purely because: (1) I like writing regularly and this circle helps me stick to my personal practice; (2) I love holding space for others to nuture their creativity; and (3) I believe in Foster's vision of a rich ecosystem that provides a deeper sense of community, support, and connection than is possible in isolation.
This is a free, recurring weekly online call for any/all writers interested in nurturing a regular weekly writing practice. The core values of our group are simplicity, consistency, and kindness.
Each week, we call into Zoom at the scheduled time (Friday at 2:30pm U.S. Pacific, 5:30pm Eastern).
We spend the first 15ish minutes on friendly hellos and a check-in process where each attendee briefly (i.e., a minute or less) shares: (1) how are you feeling, physically and mentally? and (2) what is your intention for the session?
Then, we go off camera and mic and write for 60 minutes. There are no prompts, guidance, or instructions. You are welcome to write, edit, revise anything you like. Writers in our group have written books, essays, articles, letters, blog posts, journal entries, software applications, you name it.
For the last 15 minutes of each session, we come back on camera and mic to briefly connect about how the writing session went. Sometimes we share what we've written, though more often we just chat generally about our writing.
We're currently a small but steadily growing crew (3-6 regular participants) who have been meeting at the same time each week since January 2024. We welcome new guests and members from any and all backgrounds, locations, and interest areas, regardless of the nature of your writing practice. The plan is to keep this group consistent, free, and open to all for the foreseeable future.
Foster started in 2020 as a community of humans reimaginging how we might think, connect, and express ourselves through the written word. The core idea was that while writing is often regarded as a solitary activity, we live in a world with ample opportunities and tools for connection and collaboration. We wondered: what could happen if we gather writers and thinkers together to practice expressing ourselves together through the written word?
Foster has evolved over the years, starting as a purely online Slack community. The project morphed into a startup (including partipation in Y Combinator's Winter 2021 batch) and lately has been reimagining itself into a decentralized network for writers and editors.
Over the years, the group has done live events, online cohort-based programs, live events, print media publications, and other media production (see e.g. this interview with Scott Dikkers, The Onion's founding editor). At it's heart, Foster has been and will always be a space for humans to practice thinking, connecting, and expressing ourselves through the written word.