the truly free, Rediscover-Your-Love-of-Writing 30-day challenge

Kindle the fires of your expression.
Find focus, pleasure and clarity as a writer.
And get the darn thing done – in 30 days or less.

It’s the time of year that other folks are gearing up for Halloween and Thanksgiving, snuggly warm and safe by the fire in cozy sweaters, and drinking cider – but I often find myself living in a very different fall than other people… slithering around on the outskirts from society… or holed up in my room with a strange gleam in my eye…

I will finish this novel in thirty days.  My mantra.  This year will be different.

For those who don’t know, tomorrow, November 1^st, marks the beginning of the international phenomenon known as Nanowrimo.

Na-no-what?  Na-no-wri-mo.  Short for National Novel Writing Month.

Some 200,000 writers participate every year.  The intention: to complete 1500 words a day, or 50,000 in a month, the length of an average novel.

I have been one of those 200,000 intrepid souls every year, for the past five years.  For half a decade, every November, I’ve begun a Nanowrimo novel.  But I have yet to finish a single one.

But this year, it will be different.

No, not because I’m going to succumb even more madly into a state of unwashed-writer-living-in-the-attic-surviving-on-coffee-and-chocolate-alone.  This year will be different because I’ve decided to take a whole new route: I’m dedicating myself to a month of inspiration, wellness, and community for the entire month.

And I’d like you to come a long with me!

In fact, I need you.

It’s okay if you don’t want to write a novel this month – there might be something else you’ve been dying to set your mind and fingers on:

• Your marketing copy for a new program. 

• Your blog, which has been languishing idle for months and needs a fresh influx of new ideas. 

• The articles you’ve been saying you’re going to submit to Mind Body Green, Rebelle Society, Rolling Stone or the New Yorker.

• A series of letters about the summer you spent Ocheesee, Florida, selling ice cream cones on a beach boulevard frequented by a biker gang and beautiful Cuban women wearing floppy hats, which you’d like to send to your grandfather – or your grandchildren. 

Maybe you can find time to write for an hour a day, or an hour a week.  Or you might be like me… taking on the exciting dare of 50,000 words in one month.  Whatever your writing goal is, let’s do it together.  Let's stay accountable.  Let's get it done, and rediscover our love of writing in the process.

Here’s what you can expect from me:

• Daily emails to provide constant motivation and inspiration so that you can finish your dream project, whether that’s a novel or the copy of your new website or a series of newsletters on staying sane during the holidays.  You’ll get writing prompts, productivity tips, and meditation practices to help you get you out of your mind and get the words onto the page.
• Ideas to create your own writer’s sanctuary so that you have a place to focus on your work, connect to the heart of your message, and delve into your genius ideas.  (This makes it a thousand times easier to begin every writing session and also much more likely that you’ll stay in the flow… instead of getting distracted by Facebook and youtube videos of kittens doing funny things).
• Tips to begin structuring a regular writing practice that leads to the inevitable success of your creative endeavors – one that feels sacred, enjoyable, and uniquely your own.
• Comraderie.  I’ll be blogging about my Nanowrimo experience as a way to keep the social pressure on myself and also so that you know that you aren’t alone in struggling with the challenges of writing.  I'll also give you ideas on how to get through it.  This is especially helpful for new writers, and established writers taking new risks with their work.
• A 3-Day “Clear the Channel” cleanse that you can do at home and use whenever you need during the month to clean your inner slate and jumpstart your writing project if you’re in a slump (or if you’ve just been using tons of coffee and sugar as a way to get to that 1,500 word finish line every day).
• Quick, easy, nutritious and delicious recipes for writers-on-the-go AND recipes for magical herbal potions to help with focus, inspiration, and, of course, stress.
• A “Find Your Focus and Overcome Overwhelm– the Love-to-Write Strategy Session.”  Get clear on your unique writer’s process, your work, and getting past blocks, overwhelm, and distraction.  Think of it like your very own "get out of writer's block free" card, and use it when you need it most.

And yup, I’m doing this all gratis.  Why?

Because I love the energy of November as writing month, and I think that there’s something special and powerful about being a part of the shared intention of hundreds of thousands of people that can help us do things we never thought were possible.

Because I believe that the people in my community – and truly, all writers – are visionaries.

Because I think you might send me love letters about how this challenge is working for you, and what you want more of.

And because it’s going to be tons of fun, and I need it as much as you do.  To stay accountable.  To finally finish a Nanowrimo novel.  To really commit to my message and my words – just like you.

Ready to get on board, and really commit to a month of writing pleasurably?

You can join at any time during the month of November!  It’ll only take about 30 seconds.  Just click here!