walk into fire with us and write your heart out.
My recent writing rant was borne of a recognition that we spend more time talking about wanting to write than actually writing. We spend more time trying to be clever than just picking up our ordinary and writing. We spend more time on the shape of the outcome than on the process of discovery.
What keeps us from the writing?
Is it our false comparisons with others? ("It comes easily to her," "She's got a best seller and I never will," "My eighth grade teacher didn't teach me sentence structure," "I could never be as good a writer as he is so I'll just sit right here and eat lava cake instead")
Is it our false expectations of ourselves? ("I'm not going to write it if it isn't perfect." "I will write every day for three hours or I won't bother writing at all." "I'm not going to write if I can't have a multimillion dollar book deal."
Is it our false investment in a story? ("Writers are poor, struggling, slightly neurotic human beings." "To be successful, I need to be on the New York Times bestseller list." "I can't write what I want to write because it will hurt people." "If I had one of those Astronaut pens that write upside down in space, THEN I could write the great American novel.")
I'm teaming up with two bestselling authors–Jennifer Louden and Susan Piver–to explore these questions (and more) in a fantastic one-day writing retreat on November 6th in Portland, Oregon (with a joint reading the night before at Powell's Beaverton).
Here's the schedule for the day:
9-9:45 DiLoPi opening remarks, centering, and writing warm-ups. Otherwise known as “Getting here and letting yourself be here.” Then we point out how you can do these things at home.
9:45-11:00 One Taste – Meditation, Creativity, and Joy: How Doing One of These Makes You Do All Three with Susan Piver
Susan will discuss where creativity actually comes from and how to have continual access to this source. She will give meditation instruction and explore its relationship to fearlessness and creativity. She will teach you how to establish a daily routine that gets words written and propels you down your unique spiritual path.
Benefits: fear won’t rule you anymore; you can get started on that project; you can stay with your discomfort and go deep and more!
11:15-12:30 A Million Ways to Kiss Your Writing into Being with Jen Louden
Jen will offer you her very favorite ways to find (and keep finding) your creative authenticity and ways to use your body to create energy and access fresh ideas, and she’ll introduce you to your dream team. Added bonus: her favorite craft tips! (As in writing craft, no Popsicle sticks required.)
Benefits: being in the mood to write won’t matter anymore, time will feel more forgiving, the journal/rough draft phase will feel like an inviting place to build a great piece.
12:30-1:30 Lunch break (lunch is included in the price of the day – yeah!) We will help you connect and have great conversations during lunch; no awkward eating alone and making small talk.
1:30-2:45 Put Down Your Clever and Pick up Your Ordinary with Patti Digh
Patti believes if you’re alive, you’re a writer and an artist. She will lead you through exercises to spark a deeper creative process and explore the relationship you have with your story/art. She’ll help you create a new story while telling your stories.
Benefits: New ideas flowing, fresh faith, and itty bitty simple ways to keep returning to your source and write from there. Freedom!
3:00-4:00 Writers: Take Your Mark or This is the Part Where We Write with DiLoPi
We will give you an hour of writing energy and prompts and fun that will blow you open to new material and give you clear jumping off places to keep writing. Stuck on a project – no more!
Benefits: New ideas, new energy, new direction, and knowing where to go next.
4:00 -5:00 Panel discussion w/ DiLoPi in which you lob your questions and we make up answers.
Benefits: Laughter, integration of what you’ve learned, and fun. Fun is key!
5:15-7:00 Book signing and cash bar cocktail party with the authors (see above for possible tequila shots) (see above for no weird mingling fears or networking hee bee jeebies!)
You want to write. Come, write!
Go here for more information and to register. REGISTRATION CLOSES NOVEMBER 2, 2010.
A special pre-event reading with all three of us will be held at Powell's Beaverton the evening before: November 5th, 7pm, Powell's Beaverton (Cedar Hills).
Join us. You know you want to. And I'd love to meet you there. Walk into your fear, those blocks that stop you, and write.
[image from here]
