Before launching into this month’s content, I want to celebrate that I hosted my 8th Annual in-person writing retreat earlier this month!!! Eight writers with experience in my writing circles attended, and we were able to do a deeper dive into developing character and story arcs. We wrote, laughed, cried sometimes, and learned more about each other, about writing, and more specifically about our own emerging stories. Shout out to Brittany Veenhuysen for bringing new content for my consideration, and our collaboration during this retreat was a joyful experience. I’m now looking ahead to offering a fall workshop series on Character Development, which could benefit many more writers with emerging manuscripts.
At the same time as I’m basking in the success of the June retreat, I am preparing to step away from all things digital for the months of July and August. While I’m away, I would like to continue supporting your writing practice. So here are some suggestions that can fill the gaps when your regular group/ support people are not available. Perhaps you want to take a summer break as well. What follows are some ways to take a purposeful pause in “putting words to the page” that will sustain you and replenish your creative well.
Supportive Wisdom
In the words of a trusted mentor: “Everything you do supports your writing.” Her words of wisdom to me included, “Give yourself opportunities to live your life to the fullest, without having to put words to paper in any way. Give yourself permission to fully enjoy whatever you’ve decided to do, without a nagging sense of undone homework.” I’ve learned this lesson through experience, especially when I was in the mire of completing a large manuscript. I’d be out sea kayaking, and I’d feel guilty because I also felt I “should” be working on my memoir. Then when I was revising my manuscript, I’d wish I was out kayaking. I had an “aha moment” during a meditation retreat about being in the present moment. Now, whenever I feel the old tug of guilt, I remind myself: “When I’m hiking, I’m hiking. When I’m writing, I’m writing.”
This summer, I’m planning to attend another month-long meditation retreat. This will be the sixth time I immerse myself in deep practice for four weeks. I appreciate the opportunity to slow down, to let go of day-to-day worries, duties, tasks, and planning. In the silence and the spaciousness, I am guided to study my own mind, to build my capacity for loving kindness, for calm abiding and unfiltered noticing. At the end of every meditation retreat, our teacher always suggests, “Plan your next retreat now!” Adapting that advice, I suggest that you plan the next writing class, group, or meeting you want to attend after your creative pause. Put that event onto your calendar. Even if it’s two or three years away, commit to a teacher, workshop, or program that supports your practice. Your commitment will maintain and sustain your writing, knowing that you are dedicated to nurturing your emerging words in some way – whatever that may be for you.
Practical Tips
If you’re looking to nurture your writing practice this summer while your regular support systems and classes are on pause, here are some practical suggestions that have worked for me and for other writers I know:
- Find a writing buddy! It’s best if this person is on a similar writing path to yours. Make commitments with each other and support your respective progress. For example, every two weeks, you promise to swap a piece of writing between 500 and 750 words. Set a date, then follow through. I’ve had a writing buddy since 2012, and we still meet and send each other drafts and revised copies, supporting each other in whatever project we’re cooking up.
- Host an informal writing circle where you gather with a few friends, come up with writing prompts, and do timed writing together. No need to critique each other’s words, just have fun writing together.
- Read inspiring books by authors you love, not necessarily about writing. Dive into a favorite memoir and savor the language. Notice how the story evolves, the structure, believable dialogue, or character development. You can then practice incorporating some of these techniques into your own writing when you take up the pen once again.
- Immerse yourself in nature, either by gardening or another outdoor activity that you love, with who you love. Creativity is nurtured by love.
- Meditate and/or practice yoga, tai chi or qi gong. These are all practices that strengthen the mind/body connection. For anyone who writes with me, you’ll discover that the strongest writing comes from the body, from a deep heart connection; a place beyond the rational mind.
