Your Role as Organizer
Now let’s get practical. Once you’re approved as an organizer, your first big task is to list your event so writers can find it and RSVP. Shut Up & Write! uses two platforms for event listings: Meetup for local in-person events, and the Shut Up & Write! website for global online events. Below, we’ll cover both.
Listing an In-Person Event (via Meetup.com)
If you’re organizing an in-person meetup, you will use our Meetup network to list and manage your event. Here are the steps to get your writing session up and visible on Meetup:
Get Access to Your Chapter: Our Community Team will grant your Meetup account “Event Organizer” status in your local Shut Up & Write! Meetup group (we’ll email you when this is done). Make sure you’ve created a Meetup account and are logged in. Once you have organizer permissions, you’re ready to create or edit events in that group.
Pro Tip: If possible, find a co-host for your event early on. A co-organizer can cover sessions when you’re unavailable and helps share the load. This could be a reliable regular attendee or a friend who’s also interested in organizing. If someone agrees to co-host, have them sign up via our site to become an organizer and we’ll get them added to your Meetup chapter too. It’s always good to have backup!
Set Up (or Edit) Your Event Series: In your Meetup chapter, navigate to the “Events” section. We often pre-create a draft event series for new organizers to make things easy. Look for an event listed under Drafts that you can take over. Click Manage → Edit Draft to start entering your event details. (If no draft exists, click “Schedule a New Event” to create one from scratch.)
If you plan to host recurring meetups (e.g. every week or every month at the same time), enable the “Repeat Event” option so Meetup treats it as a series and automatically schedules future occurrences. This ensures your event stays visible and saves you time in the long run.
Fill Out Event Details: Meetup will prompt you for all the key details of your event. Here’s what to include for an effective listing:
Title: Include “Shut Up & Write!” plus a hint of the location. For example, “Shut Up & Write! at Common Grounds Café” or “Shut Up & Write! (Downtown Library)”. This makes it clear it’s a SUAW session and helps folks distinguish your event (especially if your city has multiple meetups).
Date & Time: Choose your event’s start time and duration. We recommend about 1.5 hours total for a session (for example, a 2-hour meetup might consist of 30 minutes settling in & introductions, 60 minutes writing, and a short wrap-up). Schedule whatever works for you, but be sure the time is clearly stated and convenient for your target attendees.
Location: Enter the venue name and address so Meetup’s map is accurate. Under “How to find us,” you can add a note like “Look for the Shut Up & Write! table tent or sign.” If the venue is tricky to find, include brief directions or landmarks.
Description: Provide helpful details for attendees. You can briefly introduce the SUAW format for newcomers: e.g. “We’ll do quick intros, write silently for 1 hour, then share progress.” Let them know what to bring (laptop, notebook, etc.), and set expectations (for instance, “No critiques, no pressure – just quiet writing time in good company.”). Encourage them to RSVP and mention they can bring a friend along if they like. The tone should be friendly and encouraging.
Feel free to use a welcoming, informative style in your event description. The goal is to answer common questions (Where do we meet? What should I expect? Do I need to bring anything?) and to lower any anxiety about attending.
Publish the Event: Once everything looks good, hit that Publish button. Your event is now live! 🎉 Meetup will automatically send notifications to members of your SUAW chapter, and people can start RSVPing. At this point, you’re all set on the listing front. Congratulations – your meetup is on the map!
Now that your in-person event is listed and people can find it, you can start preparing to host. (For tips on running the session itself, see the Hosting Events section below.) In the meantime, you might promote your event to get more visibility (we cover promotion later, under Promoting Your Event).
Listing an Online Event (via shutupwrite.com)
For online writing events, you’ll use the SUAW website’s integrated event system rather than Meetup. The process is just as straightforward. Here’s how to get your online session listed:
Log In and Check Access: Log into your organizer account on shutupwrite.com. Once we’ve granted you organizer privileges for online events, you’ll see options to create an event in the Online Events section of the site (typically on your dashboard or profile). Ensure you can access the event creation tools before proceeding.
Start a New Event Listing: Navigate to the Online Events area (often labeled “Host an Event” or similar on our site) and click the option to create a new event or event series. This will begin the event creation form for an online session. If prompted, choose the option for an online event (as opposed to in-person).
Enter Event Details: Our system will guide you through a form to input your event details. The key fields will be similar to those on Meetup:
Schedule: Select the date and start time for your session, and set the duration. You can also indicate if this will be a recurring series (weekly, monthly, etc.), just like on Meetup.
Video Link: Provide the link to your online meeting room. This can be a Zoom link, Google Meet, Jitsi, or whatever platform you prefer for video conferencing. Make sure the link is accessible and doesn’t require attendees to have a special account (Zoom and Google Meet links usually work fine).
Description: Just as with an in-person event, write a friendly description. Explain that it’s an online Shut Up & Write! session and outline the format (e.g. intros, an hour of silent writing, then a short check-in). Mention any platform specifics (for example, “We’ll be using Zoom; you’ll get the meeting link when you RSVP.” If the platform requires a password or special instructions, include those). Encourage participants to have their writing materials ready and let them know they can be on video or audio as they prefer. The tone should be welcoming, especially since online attendees might be joining from anywhere in the world.
Publish and Share the Event: Once you’ve filled in all details and double-checked them, hit Publish (or Publish Series if it’s recurring). Your online event is now live on the SUAW website’s event calendar. It will be visible to anyone browsing upcoming Online Events. Copy the direct link to your event page – you can use this to invite people via email or social media. (Tip: Sharing the link in relevant online communities or groups can help attract participants, as we’ll discuss in the promotion section.)
Great! Your online event is all set. Writers from anywhere can now RSVP. You might want to spread the word to get a good turnout (see Promoting Your Event for ideas). Next, we’ll look at what to do when the big day comes: how to host your event successfully.