Welcome to our directory of Gyms hosted via Luma here.

 

What are these?

​These are online meetings offering group and 1:1 support for your writing and ideas.

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How does it work?

You hop on the Zoom meeting. The host goes around the room and asks what you're working on this week. After about 5 minutes of this group check-in, the host creates breakout rooms pairing you up with someone a partner based on what you need. 

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What are the different types of Gyms?

Almost all Feedback Freak gyms are "Everything" gyms meaning you can come and do any of the following:

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Idea Gym: You have an idea, maybe you've even outlined it but you don't have anything written to share yet. Perfect. Use the power of spoken word to pitch your idea to your feedback partner. Idea gyms are extremely effective at helping me crystalize something I want to write about. It saves hours by cutting out that first draft that doesn't make any sense and instead starting your first draft with a fully formed idea. Pitch an idea for 10 minutes, get feedback for 15 minutes and then switch.

Feedback Gym: You have a draft of something you've written in a Google doc. You'll share it with your feedback partner and they will read your draft while you read theirs. When you're done, you'll take turns giving feedback. Usually you read for about 10 minutes and give feedback for about 20 minutes each.

Read Aloud Gym: Read your writing aloud to your partner. Make edits as you go. Your partner will give you feedback and then switch so your partner can do the same. This is a great way to increase the readability of your writing and make sure it flows. 

Research Gym: You'll take 15 minutes to research your partners while they research yours. Then, you'll take turns sharing what you've found with your partner. This is an incredible way to get a fresh perspective on a topic you're researching to write about. Often your partner will find things you never would and vice versa. 
 

Any other terminology I should know before joining a gym?

There's a strong percentage of writers coming from Write of Passage. You may hear these terms being used:

POP - Personal, Observational, Playful (the basic idea being to use all three of these pillars in your writing to make it POP!)

CRIBS - Confusing, Repeated, Interesting, Boring, Surprising (use these "emotional categories of the reader" to give feedback that is actionable to the writer. If it's repeated, delete it. If it's surprising, keep it, and so on. 

SHINY-DIME - most writers try to take on too many topics at once. A shiny dime is the opposite, it's "distilling your message down to one central idea." You'll hear feedbackers ask you "so what's your shiny dime?"  

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I've linked to the articles if you want to dive deeper. It's not necessary that you know these terms but it can be helpful when speaking to a Write of Passage alum.