The Unwriting Café - Online on Friday

The only writing circle where nobody writes and everything gets written.

Just so you know: The RSVP on Meetup is low because most people join through other channels, plus this group is new here. Online, there are usually around 5–10 people each session.

When and where do the gatherings take place?

• There are two online sessions each week, on Tuesday at 16.00 and on Friday at 17.00.
• There’s also an in-person gathering every Sunday at 14.30 at the OBA Oosterdok.

What happens in the gatherings?
In the gatherings, we don't "do" the writing. Instead, we let the writing be done for us. We could call this unwriting: writing rooted in undoing.

Why is undoing needed?
Because as writers, we often interrupt our own work with questions like: Is this good enough? Am I inspired? Will anyone care? Does this even make sense?

What happens instead?
With these questions, it becomes about us, the writer. But here, we don’t motivate the writer. We don’t push the writing. We leave space, and the book moves on its own.

What changes when attention shifts to the writing?
It stops getting pulled into our doubts and personal agendas. It can appear more naturally, more honestly, and with less effort.

For who is this group?
Ideal for non-fiction writers, and fiction writers are just as welcome. The book isn’t strictly fiction or non-fiction anyway. The “writer” is the actual fiction.

What will we write about?
It doesn't matter what you're working on: a book, social content, an article, or an essay. It all comes down to the same thing: step aside as the writer, and you leave space for the writing to surface naturally.

What happens in the meeting?

• First 10 minutes - Youri usually offers a bit of context about unwriting while people mention what they want to explore. No formal round of introductions. Just popcorn-style sharing whenever something wants to be voiced.
• Next 40 minutes - We drop into unwriting itself: writing without the writer steering or correcting the process.
• Last 10 minutes - Anyone can share what moved in them. Struggles, shifts, insights beneath the surface. We don’t read out what we’ve written.

Who facilitates the sessions?
For now, The Unwriting Café sessions are free to join. They are facilitated by Youri Hermes, author of four books, including The Art of Unwriting. He also guides writers in letting their book come into being swiftly and authentically. You can find more about his work at SteppingAside.com.