A big enthusiastic welcome to everyone who joined First Draft Club in the last couple of weeks! I’m so glad you found your way here.
If you’re wondering how to find your way around, or what to do first, this is a special catch-up post especially for you. And if you’ve already begun, it’s a little recap now we’re half way through our first month.
A potted history
I started First Draft Club as a means to hold myself accountable while I write the first draft of my next book. (I’ve written five so far – four published – this is my sixth.)
I did this coming out of a six-month writing drought, triggered by a tricky time in my personal and professional life - I needed real accountability.
The idea is simple. We commit to finishing a draft of something (anything) before Christmas 2026. The final meet up celebration will be 23rd December.
We meet once a month to review progress and set goals for the weeks ahead. I’m a qualified coach and I lead these simple goal-setting sessions.
We held our first meeting on 23rd June, 2026. We defined our projects and decided how to measure progress. We shared our commitments with each other.
We will meet again on 23rd July, 2026 at 3pm UK time. We’ll celebrate our wins, scrutinise our failures, and find motivation for the month ahead. The joining link will be sent by email the day before.
What to do first
Visit this post and complete the simple goal-setting process you’ll find there. Post your goal statements in comments for the record.
Pop the dates for our meet ups in your diary. They will be 23rd of the month, every month, except for 24th August. Always 3pm-4pm UK time. Always on Zoom. You’ll get reminders by email.
Add all upcoming Inkwell Live dates to your Calendar using these links:
For additional weekly co-writing and community, consider joining The Inkwell membership. But don’t worry - there’s no obligation. First Draft Club is completely free. You’ll find more about me and the membership here.
If you’re not here for First Draft Club and prefer not to get emails about it, you can turn off notifications. Go to your Substack Profile > Settings > Subscriptions > select The Inkwell > scroll to Notifications and slide the First Draft Club toggle off.
I’m looking forward to meeting you and your project soon. Our next live session is 23 July, 3pm-4pm UK time. Any questions, just reply to this email. I’m all ears!
