Hello, dear writer,

I’m getting SO excited to spend quality time writing with you this Sunday, September 6!

Oh, how we are going to play! (In the junkyard of our real lives, that is. If you’re in a blanket fort in your PJs surrounded by half-empty Cheerio boxes, great.)

First timer?

If you’re anything like me, new things make me sweat, so here are some gentle things to know if this is your first time doing this with us:

What we’ll do:

1. We will write! Right smack-dab in the middle of our real lives, we'll write. Together.

2. We'll talk about common writing problems and what you can make sure is in your toolbox to deal with those as they come up, in your real, everyday, messy life.

3. We won’t be sharing work, don’t worry. There’s no time for that, and new work is too early to share, anyway. This will be a safe, introvert-friendly place to be.

4. Most of all, you’ll have time to work on your current project. You’ll be physically alone where you write, but you’ll be writing with friends. (It’s amazing.)

What Are You Going to Work On?

NOW is the time to figure this out.

The lovely thing about having this writing time together is that you will get so much done!

And it’ll be easier (and more fun) if you have a clear(ish) concept of what you’ll work on while we’re together.

Pick one:

🔲 I’m ready! I’m in the middle of a project and I know what I’m going to be working on.

Fabulous. Bring it. That’s all you’ll need.

🔲 I’m confused! I’m in the middle of a project but it’s been a long time and I don’t know how to get back into it.

Also fabulous. Feel free to do a quick refresher glance over your work, but only to find a sticking point. Don’t bring something polished to work on. Bring questions to ask yourself, a character you don’t understand, a scene you’re having trouble writing, a thorny plot problem that’s difficult to untangle. Sitting together to write while we work in parallel will help free those sticky places.

🔲 I’m TOTALLY lost! I’m not currently writing anything, and I can’t even decide what I might WANT to write about!

Also fabulous! And I’ve got some definite suggestions.

If you fall into this category, please:

1. Set a timer for 15 minutes.

2. List anything you could bring to work on: projects, fragments, questions, notes.

3. Look at the list. Ask which one feels most alive or most tender? Which would you regret not bringing?

4. Circle one. If two are really close, choose the more vulnerable/scary.

5. Now, scribble for a few minutes without stopping to think, starting with:
   The reason this is asking for my attention is… (If ​you get stuck: What I don’t yet understand is… / What feels tender is…)

6. Now, finish this sentence: I’m going to bring ​​______ to the Junkyard because ________.

7. Remember, you’re not choosing this whole project for the rest of your life—it’s just what will sit with you in the room while we’re together.

You can’t get this wrong.

What should I have on hand?

• Your project/ideas. Like I said above, it's okay if your project doesn't exist yet. It's also okay if it does and is a huge mess. That's normal!

• Your favorite beverages, a lot of them. Tea, coffee, wine, juice, smoothies, whatever makes you happy!

• Delicious snacks. I recommend a good mix of them, sweet and savory! If possible, have a food plan for your 60-minute meal break. Brains use a lot of calories doing this kind of work! (Seriously.)

• As little interruption as possible — no, wait. I'm just kidding. 😂 This is a retreat where we write inside our everyday life. It's fabulous if you can clear the retreat hours as much as you can. Make a sign to put on your bedroom door to keep people out. Tell everyone you're in a Very Important Conference. You will be very busy (doing the work of your heart). But also, it's okay if you have to come in late or leave early or go offscreen to clean up spills. That's life. We write around life.

• This won’t be recorded, as it’ll be a lot of sitting around quietly together, so do attend as much as you can, in order to get the nuggets and tips we talk about together.

WHEN:
Sunday, Sept 6, 10am – 5pm PT / 1pm – 8pm ET

Please note, these are in USA Pacific ​and Eastern times. I use this time zone converter to figure out time zone stuff (as Google and AI often get it wrong), and I prefer to put in a city rather than figuring out if a country is currently in daylight savings or not.

ZOOM LINK:

Join the Zoom HERE.

Again, you can’t get any of this wrong. I promise. And this will be so fun.

I can't wait to write with you!

❤️ Rachael