Write in community!
Meet with a small cohort of faculty members and post-PhD researchers for mutual support, accountability, and dedicated writing time. Your facilitator will hold space for brief reflective conversation about writers’ current challenges and then guide the group through two blocks of quiet, focused writing.
Note: The application for our fall 2026 writing group has closed. Check back in November for details on our spring 2027 writing group.
Community
Many academics find it easier to honestly share the ups and downs of the writing process with colleagues outside their department or field. When the writing is flowing easily, your facilitator and group members will cheer you on. When you run into hurdles, they’ll provide space to talk through challenges and consider fresh approaches.
Accountability
Your facilitator and fellow writers look forward to seeing you each week and to hearing how your project is evolving. Our weekly discussions of process and goals help participants avoid overwhelm and make steady progress towards a completed article, chapter, or manuscript.
Dedicated Writing Time
Joining a writing group ensures that writing time is truly inked onto your calendar. You commit to show up for your fellow group members, just as they commit to show up for you.
“I love this writing group! I use it to have a time dedicated to my most important, difficult writing project so that it always moves forward at least a little bit each week, no matter what my semester is like. Jess is a dream facilitator and it’s been really nice to be in community with the other writers.”
— Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Minnesota
“Jess is knowledgeable about the writing process, a great listener and so capable of synthesizing ideas on the spot! Organizing my research time around the writing group has motivated me to write consistently throughout a busy semester. I couldn’t have asked for more!”
— Letícia Marteleto,
Professor of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
“My writing alone time was respected and valued and, at the same time, I built rapport with Jess and my peers. It was a perfect balance (and I finished writing my article!)”
— Josefina Bittar, Assistant Professor of Languages and Applied Linguistics, UC Santa Cruz
FAQs
What should writers expect at writing group meetings?
We’ll start with fifteen minutes of check-in, during which each group member will have a few minutes to share successes and challenges from the preceding writing week. Each writer will then set a goal for the day’s writing session. We’ll write quietly together for 40 minutes, take a brief stretch-and-coffee break, and then write for another 45 minutes. For the final 20 minutes, we’ll return to conversation. Writers are invited to share any insights, victories, struggles, or puzzles that came up during the writing time. We’ll close by setting writing goals for the next week, which the facilitator will note and include in a weekly group email.
Who are our writing groups for?
Our groups support post-PhD academics in any field seeking dedicated writing time, accountability, and a supportive community of fellow writers. The structure of the groups will be most helpful for writers seeking to make steady, weekly progress on a substantial writing project.
Please note that this is not a drop-in co-working group. Writers join groups for the duration of the ten week session and should anticipate participating in both the check in and quiet writing portions of each meeting. Writers should be comfortable sharing updates on their project and writing process, listening closely to others, and committing to attend each weekly session.
How are these writing groups different from Draft by Draft’s coaching?
Our writing groups provide intellectual community and accountability, while our coaching offers rigorous, generous one-on-one engagement.
If you’re seeking an ongoing conversation about the substance of your work-in-progress, coaching may be the best fit. If you’re seeking to strengthen your writing practice in the company of peers, a writing group may be the best fit. Of course, many writers benefit from both approaches.
When do writing groups meet?
Writing groups meet on Zoom for two hours a week over ten weeks. Our fall 2026 group meets Tuesdays 1:30 – 3:30 pm ET / 10:30 am – 12:30 pm PT.
How many writers are in each group?
Writing groups are capped at nine writers, plus a facilitator.
How much do writing groups cost?
The cost is $590 for the ten-week group.
How do I join a writing group?
We ask writers to complete a brief application, which helps us tailor the group’s focus to the writers in the room.
Who is the facilitator?
Jess Engebretson is a Draft by Draft coach who has been leading writing groups since 2019. As a facilitator, she aims to create spaces in which writers can speak honestly about their ups and downs, find fresh perspective on their work, and cultivate an effective and sustainable writing practice.
Before joining Draft by Draft, Jess designed and facilitated writing groups serving dissertation writers in dozens of disciplines at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She has also facilitated, for several years, a writing group for early-career faculty, postdocs, and PhD candidates. Jess has found the consistency and community that groups provide to be transformative for her own writing process, and she enjoys creating those spaces for others.
Can you run a writing group for my department or university?
Yes! Please contact us to discuss options.