Join me, Janelle Hanchett, author, blogger, editor, mother of a small gaggle of children and menagerie of animals, for a one-day workshop on how to create a vibrant, sustainable writing practice in spite of mental blocks, fear, perfectionism, and an “uninspired” (read: pretty average) life. Not all of us can live in Paris and write at mahogany desks after hanging out with Gertrude Stein. Some of us write amid day jobs and laundry piles. 

This workshop–which, if you haven’t noticed yet, will be as fun as it is devoted to the serious craft of writing–is designed for writers of all genres who feel blocked or bored by their work, or want to get back into writing after a month or 10-year hiatus. Or for the first time.  

Specifically, this workshop is for the person who: 

• has a nagging question or persistent feeling of “I should write this,” but isn’t;

• can’t decide what to write about;

• hears an internal whisper of “You aren’t good enough; why are you even trying?” when they sit down to write;

• is too afraid to write what they’re really feeling/thinking/experiencing;

• is agonizing over what people will think or silenced by the fear of criticism or attack;

• is obsessing over perfection; and/or

• finds themselves bored with their current writing practice, or wishes to branch into new genres or topics.

We will specifically discuss: 

• A concrete process for determining which fears are valid and warrant your attention and which ones are to be “written through.” (I realize this sounds like an infomercial but I had to create an actual system to make these decisions during my 10-year career of writing things that occasionally enrage the internet.)

• The difference between writing for catharsis and writing for publication, why this matters, and how to move from one to the other. 

• Concrete suggestions for establishing a sustainable creative practice in the context of your busy life. 

• A clear approach for addressing privacy when writing about other people, including children and other loved ones. 

• Writing exercises and reading suggestions to help you find a story you’re “meant” to be telling, develop your individual voice, and situate yourself as a writer in this wild and weird world. We will also discuss the overuse of alliteration. 

Toni Morrison famously said: “If there’s a book you want to read and can’t find, you must write it.”

Let’s figure out what it is you want to read, and how to get you writing it.