deeper dive: writing life

Whenever I have a larger writing or course idea brewing in my brain, I designate Dollar Store bins where I collect articles, books, pictures, etc. This is a form of prewriting and precreating.
When I’m ready to begin a first draft, I’ll dig through the project bin and I don’t feel like I’m starting from nothing.

I get so much done in coffee shops.
Right now, I’m hanging at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at Hawthorne and Skypark. (My local Starbucks ruined their seating options—urgh—so that’s not a consistent option now. )

In 2023, this is the best thing that happened to my writing life.
Cathleen and I submit work to each other on Friday. We have a week to review it. Then, we meet in person the following Friday to give each other feedback at Starbucks for one hour. We tell each other what we like about the piece and then offer suggestions for revision and editing. We are friends and check in with each other at the beginning of our meeting, but we get right down to business and talk writing. I trust her feedback (she’s a college English teacher) and we both thrive with deadlines.

Family of Writers If you live in Palos Verdes and have a third through fifth grader, check out this amazing class taught by yours truly. My calling is to help everyone fall in love with writing. It’s fun for the entire family.
UCLA Extension has a huge creative writing program. There are in person and online options. Some of the classes I’ve taken are amazing and one or two have been ok. Do your research about the instructor.
HAVEN Writing Retreats and HAVEN NEST with Laura Munson I’ve been to her retreat in Montana and I’m a member of her online writing community. She’s an amazing mentor and teaches me so much about writing.
Zibby Classes I took a great memoir and personal essay class from Darcey Gohring. She also leads The Writer’s Table.

Women’s Mini Retreats with ME! These are affordable, local, and happen around my dining room table. No previous writing experience required. Join us.

Last year, I added one day to a hotel stay when I was attending a retreat for Laura Tremaine’s Secret Stuff Community. It felt decadent, but I got a lot of writing done. Sometimes, a change of location without the home distractions is just what you need.

Two Writing Teachers (This is for teachers, but parents might enjoy their perspective, too.)
The Beautiful Writer’s Podcast (This is mostly for people who want to get published and it hasn’t been updated recently, but I love the creative process discussions so I think there is something here for everyone.)

I wrote an Advent devotional for my church this year. I’ve never written anything like it. Trying something new gave my writing life new energy and filled me with a sense of wonder. Usually, I stay in the personal essay, memoir, and poetry lanes. Maybe I’ll be really wild this year and try writing fiction! So many famous writers claim that being surprised by your writing is where big motivation happens. I agree.
If you haven’t written haiku, I’d start with that since it’s fast, fun, and sustainable. Anyone can fit it into their daily life. Check out my Haiku Holiday mini retreat if you want to try writing the world’s smallest poem.