A Typical GYWO Month

Each month at Get Your Words Out holds a number of opportunities for supporting accountability, motivation, craft development, networking, and mental health as it relates to your writing life. While some of those opportunities emerge spontaneously, many appear on a regular schedule.

Here’s what a typical month looks like at GYWO.

Membership & Accountability

Events and posts essential to your membership and participation.

Overhead view of a desktop with a blank notebook, pens, coffee mug, laptop, and mouse—someone is ready to write!!

1st: Monthly Newsletter Arrives in your inbox with a direct link to the current check-in, community news, and links to discussion posts from the previous month. Also linked on Discord.

4th: Monthly Kick Off A Dreamwidth pep talk and preview of special events for the month, along with reminders and links to important information.

6th: Monthly Check-In Closes The monthly check-in for the previous month closes. Late Check-In opens.

7th: Monthly Check-In Confirmation Confirm your check-in was received or correct an error on Dreamwidth. See community progress and congratulate writers who finish their pledge! Also linked on Discord.

29th or 30th: Monthly Check-In Opens A Dreamwidth post contains the Google Form link. Checking in is required; see Monthly Check-In for details. Also posted on Discord with reminders throughout the check-in period.

Motivation & Discussions

GYWO offers many opportunities over the month to get your words out, develop your craft and knowledge, and interact with other writers.

Group of three people talking with open books in front of them.

10th: Metric Challenge A short challenge based around word count or time commitments.

15th: Prompt Challenge A challenge with a prompt or theme.

20th: Write Something Challenge A bit of encouragement to write.

Challenges are posted to Dreamwidth and announced on Discord

DiscussionsThroughout the month, Dreamwidth hosts discussions based on writing topics suggested by our members, or that are related to concerns and questions brought up within the community.

26th: Best of Bluesky & Tumblr A compilation post on Dreamwidth contains the best of what appears on GYWO Bluesky and Tumblr: prompts, articles, research, inspirational quotes, and occasionally information for agents and story calls.

30th: Writing Sprints Schedule While the Writing Sprints Calendar has the most up-to-date information, a Dreamwidth post contains the writing sprints schedule for the following month. Also posted on Discord.

Mental Health & Support

GYWO offers support and reminders to take care of your mental and physical health to aid your writing life.

Pink neon light shaped into the word "breathe" written in script.

5th: Chronic Illness Support Writers with any illness that impacts their writing life can check in with other writers about their obstacles and mental health in this monthly Dreamwidth post.

12th: Monthly Recharge Sometimes writers need time away from writing in order to accomplish their goals. Take a break on Dreamwidth and take care of your social needs.

Encouragement & Support Each month Dreamwidth hosts pep talks, opportunities to share your work, and places for writers to celebrate successes, vent frustrations, and ask for help.

The forums at Discord offer additional opportunities for you to ask for encouragement and support.

In addition to these monthly posts, GYWO hosts annual events like GYWO Yahtzee (starting in March); 7 Days, 7 Stories (May); and the Mid-Year Marathon (running July and August), as well as word crawls and other events help you get your words out and stay accountable to your pledge goal.

2024 Tentative Event Schedule

January – June 2024

Writers Valentines

Yahtzee

7 Days, 7 Stories

Submission Soirée

July – December 2024

Holidays in July

Build-a-Bingo

Mid-Year Marathon

Spoopy Word Creep

While many of these are posted initially to Dreamwidth, they also have support channels or announcements on the GYWO Discord server.