Spent Wednesday morning at 5am Writing Club in Kemptown Bookshop. Twenty writers, silent session, sunrise through the windows. The kind of thing that sounds insane until you try it.
Cathy Hayward started these sessions in 2023 after regularly waking at five to write herself. Wondered if other local writers did the same. Turns out they do. Monthly fixture now, first Wednesday of every month.
Silent means silent – no workshopping, no feedback, just the motivation of being around other people also choosing to write before the city wakes up. Bookshop opens at five, stays open till half nine. Coffee included, pastries from the bakery opposite if you want them. Spread yourself across the cafe upstairs, ground floor, cosy basement. One plug socket so arrive with charged laptop.
Something about early morning clarity. No notifications yet, no obligations. Just blank page and the strange solidarity of strangers also mad enough to set alarms for 4:30 am.
Worked on the visceral horror sections that have been stuck for weeks. Needed that pre-dawn quiet to figure out how much physical threat the story actually requires. Breakthrough came around 6:45am when the light shifted and suddenly the balance between psychological and corporeal terror made sense.
Left at nine with four new scenes and begrudging respect for people who do this monthly. Might become one of them. Brighton’s writing community keeps finding ways to surprise me – horror panels one week, silent sunrise sessions the next.
Currently reconsidering my entire sleep schedule.
Daria Ryzhikova Writer