How to run a writing group

A writing group is a few people who meet to work on material together, on Zoom, another video call or in person. Writing groups are on every GigTools plan, including the free one, and they belong to the people in them, not to an organization: you can invite anyone, from any GigTools account or none.

Before you start

Writing groups is in the menu under People (on the free plan it's in the main list). Members of a group see each other's names, the group's meetings and its workshop. They never see your email, gigs, contacts, money or anything else in your organization, and your team doesn't see your groups.

1. Start a group

1. Open Writing groups and click New group.
2. Type the Group name, like "Tuesday Writers", and optionally what it's about ("Bring 3 premises each week").
3. Pick the group's Time zone and click Create group. You're its organizer.

2. Add when you meet

1. On the group's page, under Meetings, open + Add a meeting.
2. Name it, and under Where pick Zoom, Other video call or In person. Paste the video link, or type the place and address. GigTools recognizes links for Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Discord, FaceTime, WhatsApp, Jitsi and Webex and shows Recognized: Zoom (or the app's name) under the link. A Zoom link saves as Zoom and any other link as Other video call, whichever you picked. For a Discord server invite, members need a Discord account.
3. Under How often pick Once, Every week, Every other week or Once a month. A repeating meeting falls on the first date's weekday; for monthly, choose which one (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or last). A Last date is optional.
4. Set the start time, how long it runs and the time zone, add any notes (a passcode, what to bring) and click Add meeting.

Next meetings lists the coming dates with a join button for video that names the app (Join on Zoom, Join on Google Meet and so on, or Join the call for any other link), a Map button for in person, and Add to calendar. To skip one date (a holiday), click Skip this date next to it; it shows under the meeting with bring back if you change your mind. To change or remove a meeting, use Edit meeting or Remove.

3. Invite people

Under Invite people, type email addresses (separated by commas or one per line) and click Send invites.

• Someone who already uses GigTools gets a notice (by email unless they've turned it off, and on the phone app) and joins from their Writing groups page with Join.
• Anyone else gets an email with a Join the group link. It opens the sign-up page; they make a free account, finish the short setup and land back on the group to join. The link works once and lasts 14 days.
• Waiting to join lists invites that haven't been used, with Resend (which makes a new link) and Cancel.

The Invite link is one link for the whole group, for a text or a group chat: Copy invite link, and anyone who opens it and signs in can join. Reset link makes a new one (the old one stops working) and Turn off stops it until you turn it back on.

4. Reminders and your calendar

• The day before each meeting, everyone in the group gets a reminder with the time and the link (naming the app, like "Join on Google Meet") or address. The phone app also reminds you an hour before. Turn them on or off in My settings (Writing group meetings), or under Account in the phone app (Writing groups).
• Your dashboard shows a Writing groups card with the next meetings, each video meeting with its join button.
• To see every meeting in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook, copy the link under My writing groups calendar on the Writing groups page and subscribe to it. It's yours alone; Make a new link stops the old one working.

5. The workshop

Each group has a Workshop where members post material and the group helps with it. Only the group's members see it.

1. On the group's page, click Post something (or Open the workshop, then + Post something).
2. Pick the Type (Premise, Bit, Tag, Story, Song or Other), add a Title if you like, write it out under Your material and click Post to the group.
3. Everyone in the group can now:
   • Comment (a tag, a twist, what worked) and Reply to a comment. Replies go one level deep.
   • Vote a post or a comment up or down with the arrows. Click the same arrow again to take your vote back. Votes are anonymous: everyone sees the score, nobody sees who voted, and you can't vote on your own.
   • Tag it ("relatable", "needs a tag", "act-out", "clean"). Anyone in the group can add or take off tags; tags you use are suggested next time.

• The workshop lists posts Newest or Top (highest score first), and the tag buttons show only posts with that tag. On a post, the best comments rise to the top.
• You can Edit or Delete your own posts and comments at any time. Organizers can Remove any post or comment.
• When someone comments on your post or replies to your comment, you get a notice (at most one per post each hour). Turn it on or off in My settings (Writing group comments).
• If you leave a group, your posts stay in its workshop. Delete any you don't want to leave behind before you go.

6. The live room

The Live room is the place to be during a meeting. Everyone in it sees new posts, comments and votes on their screen as they happen, without reloading.

• It opens by itself 15 minutes before each scheduled meeting and stays open until the meeting ends (an hour longer if people are still going). While it's open, the group's page shows Live now with Join the live room. An organizer can also click Start live now at any other time, and End live to close it.
• If the meeting has a video link, the join button (Join on Zoom and so on) is at the top of the room.
• Post a premise, bit or tag in the box at the top and click Post to the room. Comment under any post with Send, or click Reply under a comment.
• Vote with the arrows. Scores change on everyone's screen at once, and the best comments move to the top. Votes are still anonymous.
• Spotlight (organizers): click Spotlight on the post being workshopped now. Everyone's screen jumps to it and shows it at the top under In the spotlight. Clear spotlight when you move on.
• Sort the room's posts Newest or Top. The pill at the top says Live while updates are coming in; if your connection drops it says Reconnecting… and keeps checking for new posts until it's back.
• Everything posted in the live room stays in the group's workshop afterward, with its comments, tags and votes.

7. Members and organizers

• An organizer can Make organizer another member (a group can have several), Make member, Remove someone, Edit group and Delete group.
• Anyone can Leave group. The only organizer can't leave until they make someone else an organizer, or delete the group.

8. On your phone

Writing groups are in the GigTools app for iPhone and Android too, on every plan.

• Open Writing groups to see your groups, each with its next meeting, and any invites waiting for you (Join or No thanks).
• Got an invite link in a text or email? Tap it: once your phone has the latest GigTools app (iPhone first), the link opens the group's join screen in the app. Without the app it opens the join page on the website.
• Got an invite code instead? Tap Join with a link, paste it, check the group's name and tap Join the group.
• Open a group for its members, its meetings and the next dates. Tap the join button (Join on Zoom, Join on Google Meet and so on) for the video call, Map for an in-person meeting, or Add to calendar to put that date in your phone's calendar. For every meeting at once, subscribe to My writing groups calendar.
• Organizers can invite people by email, share or reset the invite link, add, change or remove meetings, skip a date, and make someone an organizer or remove them, the same as on the website.
• Open a group's Workshop to post, comment, reply, tag and vote, the same as on the website.
• During a meeting, open the group's Live room on your phone: new posts, comments, votes and the spotlight show as they happen.
• Turn meeting reminders and invite notices on or off under Account (Writing groups), and comment notices with Writing group comments.