WARA's Mini-Retreat (Rox Delaney)

Due to the craziness of life, I missed writing my blog post earlier this month.  It happens to all of us.  We all have lives that are woven with have-to's and need-to's, and some things get missed in the process of day-to-day living.

If you look to the left, you'll see a photo of a group of women.  They're smiling.  Why?  The photo was taken at WARA's Fall Mini-Retreat, held last Saturday.

I can't remember a time when I didn't enjoy one of WARA's weekend retreats or mini-retreats.  If I had to count how many I've attended, I wouldn't get it right.  I've been a member of WARA for most of the past 17 years.  Although there have been a few times we've had to skip having a retreat, there have been many.  For me, they're a must-not-miss.

Retreats, whether over a weekend or only just a day, are a kick-in-the-backside.  A good kick-in-the-backside!  Not only is it a chance to hear where others are with their writing, but a time to Talk Writing.  Those who aren't writers have difficulty understanding people who hear voices in their heads.  Those who do write take it for granted and understand that if you aren't hearing those voices or seeing a scene played out in your head, something needs to be done.

It doesn't take much to hit a roadblock in a story.  Sometimes a character decides to make decisions or do something the writer never planned.  Or sometimes we discover we've written ourselves into a corner and don't know how to get out of it.  Talking with others who understand story structure or conflict or goals or motivation are a godsend.  Even many non-writers, but voracious readers can only help so much.  Writers are a writer's best friend.

Not only are those of us in WARA writer friends, we're also friends who write.  Add to it that we have families and the usual activities and difficulties that women (and men) face in the "normal" world, and strong friendships are often made.  I have writer friends, within WARA and without, and friends who've never written and don't have a clue what it takes to create fictional people and stories.  I value all of them.

So what did we do at the retreat?  We brainstormed, we offered suggestions, shared bits of information, had lunch and ATE CAKE that Reece baked and decorated. :)  We came away with possible answers to questions and the good feeling of having spent a day with friends.  Retreats help fill the well.  Who could ask for more?

As for WARA, itself, we've outgrown some things and are adding new.  We're looking forward to making our group better and stronger as we continue to make new friends and and meet with long-time friends.  Our retreats help with that and our writing.

Start BIC-HOKing, ladies!  Pat and I each have a whip. ;)

You Are Not Alone

Tomorrow is WARA's Mini-Retreat Part 2.  In other words, this is our second 1-day retreat of the year.  I'm really looking forward to it.  It's a great way to refill the well, kick-start a new project, find answers to perplexing plot or character problems, and, in general, have a good time with friends.

In our quest to blog about well refilling this month, we've focused mainly on things we do on our own and by ourselves.  Doing this really is important.  It's also something we shouldn't be doing at our desk or our laptop.  It really is based on getting away and putting some space between writing and self.  We need to take care of us.  When we do that, our writing will often take care of itself.

In addition to our private well-filling and self-nurturing, we need to remember that having friends is just as important.  Even stay-at-home-moms are encouraged to join groups such as Moms Day Out.  Being a hermit, whether chosen or by default, isn't healthy for the soul. We need other people to bring us out of ourselves, to see the world from the perspective of someone else, to expand mentally, emotionally, and creatively.

Groups are fun, especially groups that share an interest.  For a writer, a group can be the one thing that keeps her from giving up, dropping out, or being inert. Just listening to a group of writers---especially female writers!---can lift another write to the point of wanting and sometimes needing to write.  For a women, a group provides friendship, support, and fun.  Last month, four of us (three WARA members and a former member) met at a local movie theater to see Hope Springs.  It provided a wonderful way to get away from our usual venue, do a quick catch-up on what's going on in each other's lives, and enjoy not only the movie, but the company of friends.

If you're finding that refilling the well isn't going as you'd hoped it would, maybe it's time to pull in some help. Gather some friends together for a few hours and have fun.  When it's over, you might look down into that well and discover that it's brimming, once again.  One warning.  Don't make this a time to complain or grumble over the hurdles you're encountering in life.  Make this a time to look for the things that make you smile.  And then do it. ☺

Happiness adds and multiplies, as we divide it with others. -- A. Nielsen

Dousing myself with that well water from a surprising source (Melissa Robbins)

I have enjoyed reading fellow WARA members’ takes on this month’s timely topic.  I have to admit that some of my best ideas hit me while I’m in the shower.  Sitting on the ledge and dressed in his full RAF uniform, Connor pitched his story idea while I showered.  He probably relished the fact that I was naked, but he kept his remarks to himself. 

However, for the first two weeks of September, the showers failed me.  I struggled with my stories and word count (only 1000 words and that’s bad for me.)  Some experts say that your characters know their stories better than you and you should let them lead the way.  If I left Connor to his own devices, his story would make erotic romance read like a children’s book.  Quick!  Someone douse him with that well water.  On the FAR end of the spectrum is sweet and shy Carrick, my YA hero.  I know where I want him to go, but the settings stop me writing his story.  He isn't as loud as Connor either.  My poor Wren is stuck in the middle, wanting desperately for me to send out queries.  Just read my post on that subject!  Shiver. 

During Labor Day weekend, a friend and I experienced the insaneness of Dragon Con.  I hoped the time away from writing would refresh my well and I would come back ready to write.  See word count above.  Yeah, that didn’t happen.  Two weekends ago, I did not get up at 5 am during our first cold snap to write and chose to stay in my bed and snuggle with my warm husband. 

Soon after that, that same friend found a group wanting to do Steampunk costumes for next year’s DCon.  The idea sparked my creativity.  I love Steampunk and many of those costumes that have vintage military aspects.  I could incorporate many of the items from Connor and my stories since, of course, I would be a Steampunk pilot.  After sketching the costume all day, I woke up the next morning at 5 am and FINALLY figured out my Connor chapter I’ve been struggling with.  I moved on and wrote an 'almost kiss' scene, 700 words the first day, 600 words the next, and 400 after that. I finished that chapter yesterday.

So when you least expect it, that refreshing well may just appear out of nowhere and douse you with water.  Be ready.

Need Help Refilling Your Creative Well? (Penny Rader)

Since we’re discussing our creative writing wells this month, I thought I’d poke around the Internet and see what sort of advice I could find. Below are snippets of a few articles I found.  I hope you’ll read the authors’ entire articles.

5 Ways to Boost Your Creativity --  And Generate More and Better Article Ideas (Linda Formichelli)

• Read magazines -- but not the ones you usually read.
• Get literary.
• Go away.
• Get outside.
• Find another way,

The Artist’s Date: Take Time To Refill Your Creative Well (Joanna Penn)

This idea comes from Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” which is a fantastic book. It is basically some time alone absorbing and refilling your creative well. It can be something entirely different, like a pottery class or a show, or could just be a walk or a new gallery exhibition. Anything that gives your brain some new stimulation and takes you away from your work in progress and your ‘normal’ life. It should be alone so you have time to reflect and can be an hour, a day or longer. (I am hankering after a writer’s retreat one of these days!)

How to Recover & Recharge from Creative Burnout (Alexia Petrakos)

• Dump it all out.
• Escape for a while. Leave your studio as it is, messes & all.
• Read a book. Make sure it’s something you enjoy, and not a self-help book.
• Take a walk outside.
• Sleep!

Don’t take too long recharging. Sometimes too much rest can lead to laziness.

How to Refill Your Creative Well (Cindy Barrilleaux)

For a couple of days or more, change your writing routine.  Instead of working on your manuscript, experiment with a variety of writing exercises. Do free writes, a la Natalie Goldberg, guided exercises, play around with poetry.  The main thing is to let loose, drop your inner editor, and write freely, unconcerned with results. After all, they’re only writing exercises.

Recharging the Creative Well (Linda Andrews)

• Look at art.
• Read.
• Stare at the stars.
• Cook.
• Scrapbook.
• Watch HGTV.
• Watch a movie, documentary, or TV show.
• Sew.
• Garden.
• Learn something new.

Refill & Recharge (Dani Wade)

• Artist Date
• Reward Day
• Go to the movies
• Girls Night Out
• Share a movie or game night with your family or some friends once every couple of weeks
• Minute Saviors – ideas that can take as little as 1 minute, or as much as 60.

Refilling the Well (Rox Delaney)

From WARA's own Roxann:

• Find a quiet spot to think or just "be"
• Spend time with friends, both writing and non-writing, especially ones I don't see often
• Sleep or take a nap without interruption
• Go outside and watch the clouds drift by
• Find a place away from the street lights--away from the city--to once again enjoy the beauty of the night sky
• Take a leisurely walk in the park, not for exercise or any reason other than the sheer joy of it
• Go to the park and swing
• Sit by the water and listen to the sounds it makes
• Find a new and unusual shop and explore
• Watch favorite movies for a full day

Refilling the Well (Mistina Picciano)

• Read fiction.
• Read about craft.
• Connect with other writers.
• Write anyway.

Refilling the Well (Kerry Schafer)

And so, I look for healing and refilling in the little things, in the odd moments scattered throughout the day. A picture that I love, hung where I see it every time I walk by. A hummingbird watching me hang out the laundry. A purring cat. A hug. Reading a great book. Talking to friends. Even just taking a moment to stand on my front porch barefoot, eyes closed, soaking in the energy from the world around me with every pore.

Ten Ways to Fill Your Creative Well (Catherine Castle)

• Visit nature.
• Take a long bubble bath.
• Read a book by an author you love.
• Get your favorite movie and watch it, dissecting it as you go.
• Meditate on your writing,
• Free write.
• Brainstorm with another writer about your story.
• Stuck for an idea? Read your Writer’s Market to come up with ideas.
• Read a writer’s magazine.
• Write an article for your blog, someone else’s blog or a newsletter

~~~

Do you have any favorite way to refill your creative well?  I'd love to hear them.