Easy Writer: When writing is hard, write in a herd

Nicholson, Fonda and Hopper overcame their chopper block problems by riding together

Counterculture Harley riders in the 60′s were social outcasts and small in numbers, so they tended to ride together. Ultimately every rider operates their hog alone, but I’m sure it was more fun and probably safer to do it in a pack (though Captain America does eat some lead by the end of the movie).

Writing, like chopper riding, is something you have to do all by yourself, but it can be done in a group as well. Find a few like-minded spirits, collect in a cafe at an appointed hour, don your writing helmets, then ride your laptop like it was a Harley in high gear on the open road.

Compared to the roar of a mad pack of drugged-out, hog-riding hippies, the sounds emanating from a writing herd seem pretty tame, but don’t let that mislead you. The mental cylinders are firing efficiently at a very high wpm (words per minute).  Packs of both writers and bikers enjoy shaking up the status quo, flipping off the establishment, and traveling wherever they want. And if you run out of fuel, all it takes is a double cappuccino and… Bam! You’re back on the road.

The experience of sitting next to another writer and working together is worth experimenting with if you are avoiding writing. You’re more likely to show up at your scheduled writing time if you plan it with others, because they’ll notice if you’re not there. They might even have the gall to say something about your absence the next time they see you.

If you plan to write for an hour and you feel like quitting after ten minutes, it will take major chutzpah to get up and walk out if your colleagues are still busily honoring their commitment to their craft. It’d be like Dennis Hopper suddenly pulling off the road a few minutes into the ride because his fanny is a little uncomfortable. What would Jack Nicholson have to say about that!

Writers and riders have to spend a lot of time sitting on their ass to get where they want to go. Try it in a gang and see what happens.