Let's Shut Up & Write!™ Together, Via Email ONLY during the Pandemic

UPDATE: If you want to participate in our meetings-by-email, you need to RSVP on this page and then send your email address to me via the "Contact Organizer" link or via my profile. If you use the latter method, be sure to tell me which group you are in. If I see no signups and/or do not have your email, I will not be sending the emails.

Here is a copy of the email I ve sent to our entire membership. It details how we will operate during the pandemic:

"Dear writers,

Over the past two weeks, the core groups (those who attend) in both Thousand Oaks and Ventura have voted to continue meeting during the corona virus outbreak. Since then, a pandemic has been declared, we are finding out that the virus can be transmitted by totally asymptomatic people, and "shelter in place" mandates have been issued. Additionally, some of our core members have stated to me that they no longer feel good about attending. In addition, I personally have developed a sore throat (with no fever to date) and am self-isolating in line with the CDC, state, and national advisements. I have come to feel our best duty to each other and the rest of our society is to suspend our meetings until we are sure the curve of infection has passed.

Accordingly, I wanted to let you know I ve decided to suspend our meetings indefinitely. Keep watching our MeetUp pages because once the health experts have given the "all clear" I will reactivate our regular times.

I strongly encourage everyone to stay in touch with our group so we can maintain our growing cohesiveness.

As I mentioned at our last meetings, I would like to promote some continuity by staying in touch at our regularly appointed times via email. Specifically, for those who have sent me their email addresses via the "Contact Organizer" link on our MeetUp site, I will send an email just before 3 p.m. on Mondays. You will email back that you are present. At 3 p.m. I will send you a "Shut Up & Write!" message, and we will write at usual, but from home. An hour later I will send you the "15 minutes" notice, and then the "Time" notice, and then we can discuss, via email, how we each did. This is the simplest "virtual meeting" possible, and will not necessitate any of you having to sign up for any virtual meeting services and yet will provide communication as usual.

If you wish to be included, it is important you send me your email address via the "Contact Organizer" link on our MeetUp page. If you have any difficulty, let me know on the MeetUp page.

In addition, Shut Up & Write has a virtual group that you may want to explore. I would urge you to stay in touch primarily with our own group, however, so we can maintain what we ve built together.

Some of you have inquired whether the Flash Fiction exercise has begun yet. It has not. I will give you a heads up when it is ready to go.

To my regular attendees: Please let me know you ve received this message and understand it, via the MeetUp contact link.

I wish you all health and well-being at this time.

Warm regards,

Harley