Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep...

With just a month to go until the WriteAway Spring Writer's Retreat at Camp Cedar Lodge, Kim and Ami are giddy with anticipation. We can't wait to share a rustic weekend with you.

The lake! The woods! The clean air!  The camaraderie of other writers! Can't you just *smell* the creativity?

~inhales.... Aaaaaahhhhhhh~

We have discovered that one question -- more than any other -- is on the minds of people planning to attend.

It's not "Tell me more about the faculty and facilitators." Nope. Shawna Ayoub Ainslie and Yi Shun Lai have solid creds that speak volumes.

It's not "What's the closest airport?" [The answer is Kalamazoo, MI. But Grand Rapids, South Bend, Detroit, and Chicago are all easy drives, too.]

"I never want to hear the phrase 'business casual' again."

It's not even "What should I wear?" Because everyone knows that "women only" and "rustic" translates as "Wear comfy clothes; no makeup or heels necessary." Whew!

Hands down, the biggest question on everyone's mind is a variation on "where will I be sleeping?"

We've discovered that "cabins" and "camping" mean very different things to people. Huh. Who knew?

So -- to those who wondered if you needed to bring your own rollmat and mosquito netting...AND to those who asked if there was electricity in the cabins or a concierge, the answer is the same: no.

The beds all have sturdy hardwood frames with standard twin size mattresses. During summer camp they are set up as bunks, but unless you really, really want to check top-bunk-sleeping off your bucket list, there is no need for anyone to do any climbing.

Tall, four-tiered, wooden shelves stand in the cabin like trees in a forest, providing handy storage for important items like writing utensils, flashlights, and a deck of Exploding Kittens.

Bring your own bedding. And your own towels, washcloths, and toiletries. The concierge is you.

To help you visualize, we went to Camp Cedar Lake and made up two "demo beds":

Exhibit A: The Intrepid Explorer

This is the set-up for people who care more for function than form (koff - Ami - koff).

These hardy souls really couldn't give two rips about whether or not things color coordinate, as long as they do the job.

Essential Items

• Sleeping bag
• Blanket
• Pillow
• Hanging flashlight
• Large plooshy stuffed animal (optional)

Exhibit B: The Cozy Camper

Some people have an eye for beauty, elegance, and design. Instead of "gray," "blue," or "orange," they name colors things like "chickadee," "kingfisher," and "oriole."

Like Monty Python's infamous Knights of Ni, when they ask for a shrubbery, they want "one that looks nice." (Kim: these are your people!)

Though such aesthetes lean more toward spas than cabins when they go on vacation, they are no shrinking violets! They boldly bring civilization into the wilderness with them. 

Essential Items

• Top and bottom twin sheets with matching pillowcase
• Sleeping pillow
• Decorative accent pillows
• Down-filled duvet
• Handcrafted vintage quilt
• Retro flashlight
• Fresh flowers (not optional)

Regardless of how you decorate, the #Write2TheEnd WriteAway Spring Writer's Retreat is a weekend to tap into your creativity in fresh, new ways. Meet other great writers. Add some tools to your Writer's Toolbox. Produce some serious wordcount. Soak up buckets of advice and ideas from our faculty. Spread those wings and fly...

There is still time to register: just click the "Buy Now" button and sign up via PayPal. Better yet -- save over 10% if register before April 20. We won't make your bed, but we'll do everything in our power to help make this the Writer's Retreat of your dreams!

Announcing the #W2TE WriteAway Spring Writer's Retreat!

For several years, Kim and Ami have talked about putting together a writer's retreat.

Our retreat would be in a place that encouraged creativity. A place that inspired. A place off the beaten track, full of natural beauty: hills... trees... maybe a lake...

We would eat meals together, share a few drinks, hash out ideas and projects.

We would bring in expert writers and facilitators with diverse skill sets who were both accessible and willing to share their knowledge.

Our retreat would offer workshops to benefit all levels of writers, from beginners to pros, helping participants hone skills and put new tools in their Writer's Toolbox.

Our retreat would also offer the Gift of Solitude: providing blissfully uninterrupted writing time from Friday evening through late Sunday morning for those inclined to become ornamental hermits.

Ami insisted there must be readily available coffee -- lots of it. And dogs. And access to the sort of inspiration only horses can provide.

Kim championed the importance of making the most of local wines. And social networking with other women writers. But mostly wine.

Finally, we realized:

The time for talking is over. 

With great excitement, we announce the #Write2TheEnd WriteAway Spring Writer's Retreat.

Aerial view of Camp Cedar Lodge in autumn.

From Friday afternoon on May 19 through Sunday morning, May 21, we invite you to join us at beautiful, rustic, Camp Cedar Lodge in Lawrence, Michigan.

That weekend, we will do everything in our power to help you indulge and nurture your Inner Writer.

Our fabulous faculty includes:

Yi Shun Lai

Novelist, non-fiction editor, writing coach, and essayist Yi Shun Lai.

Yi Shun holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts. She is the non-fiction editor of the Tahoma Literary Review, the former fiction editor of the Los Angeles Review and has worked for a variety of publications including The Atlantic, Audubon, AARP the Magazine, and many more. 

Her debut novel, NOT A SELF-HELP BOOK: THE MISADVENTURES OF MARTY WU, published in 2016, is in its fourth printing and is taught in classes ranging from Critical Thinking to American Literature. 

Yi Shun is a consultant in external communications with experience in journalism, social media and business strategy, copywriting, and line and developmental editing. She lives in the greater Los Angeles area.

AND

Shawna Ayoub Ainslie

Essayist, writing coach, consultant, survivor, and poet Shawna Ayoub Ainslie.

Shawna holds an MFA from Indiana University. Her work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Art Saves Lives International, and others. She is the former editor-in-chief of Open Thought Vortex Magazine.

Shawna's work addresses themes of race, place, abuse, mental health, family, and faith. She founded the Writing Through Trauma series to help survivors of trauma shed their fears and heal. She resides in Bloomington, Indiana.

Of course, Ami and Kim will be there too!

The #Write2TheEnd WriteAway Spring Writer's Retreat is open to only twenty participants. For our inaugural session, it is open to women only. Ladies -- whatever your writing goals, we invite you to come and join us! Just click the "Buy Now" button at the upper right. Save $50 if you register before April 20, 2017!

For more information, check out our WriteAway Spring Writer's Retreat page.

Join Novelist Yi Shun Lai & #Write2TheEnd for a Self-Help Book Swap!

Yi Shun Lai

YOU ARE INVITED to a SELF-HELP BOOK SWAP at the #Write2TheEnd offices at 420 Main Street in St. Joseph from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 14.

#Write2TheEnd is honored to welcome writer and editor Yi Shun Lai to southwest Michigan.

Lai is the non-fiction editor of the highly regarded Tahoma Literary Review. She was, for a time, the youngest-ever writer for the legendary J. Peterman catalog. And that was before "Seinfeld" discovered it. Her most recent work is NOT A SELF-HELP BOOK: THE MISADVENTURES OF MARTY WU (2016, Shade Mountain Press), a humorous epistolary novel.

At the Book Swap, Lai will conduct a workshop on keeping an active journal and will discuss her writing process. She will have a limited number of copies of NOT A SELF-HELP BOOK on hand, available for signing and purchase. Light refreshments will be served.

“We have all been tempted by the Self-Help section of the local bookstore,” says Lai.
“And we've probably also all acquired some gems and some duds. Did you get something out of your book and want to pass it on now? Or was it just not for you? Bring it to the Book Swap!"

Prior to the Self-Help Book Swap, On Wednesday, July 13, Lai will be featured in a booksigning and writer’s Q & A session at the Webster Memorial Library, part of the Van Buren District Library, 200 N. Phelps Street, Decatur, from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.

She will be a Special Guest at the Webster Memorial Library’s Writing Workshop with Ami Hendrickson the evening of July 13 from 6 to 7:30.

Lai will also appear at Women and Children First in Chicago, IL, on Friday, July 15.

NOT A SELF-HELP BOOK details the life of Marty Wu, a compulsive reader of advice manuals who would love to come across as a poised young advertising professional. Instead, she trips over her own feet and blurts out inappropriate comments. The bulk of her brain matter, she decides, consists of gerbils "spinning madly in alternating directions.”

Marty hopes to someday open a boutique costume shop, but it's hard to keep focused on her dream. First comes a spectacular career meltdown that sends her ricocheting between the stress of New York and the warmth of supportive relatives in Taiwan. Then she faces one domestic drama after another, with a formidable mother who's impossible to please, an annoyingly successful and well- adjusted brother, and surprising family secrets that pop up precisely when she doesn't want to deal with them.

Mining the comedic potential of the 1.5-generation American experience, NOT A SELF-HELP BOOK is an insightful and witty portrait of a young woman scrambling to balance familial expectations and her own creative dreams. Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, author of A Tiger in the Kitchen: A Memoir of Food and Family raves: "A breezy and charming tale ... Anyone who's grown up immersed in a profoundly rich old-world culture and feels its constant pull will commiserate—and be entertained."

All of Lai’s southwest Michigan appearances are free and open to the public.

#Write2TheEnd is an eight-week intensive writing workshop in St. Joseph facilitated by Ami Hendrickson and Kim Jorgensen Gane. #Write2TheEnd participants have succeeded in finishing novels, poetry chapbooks, non-fiction books, and more. #Write2TheEnd also conducts occasional short workshops. In addition to Lai, noteworthy authors #Write2TheEnd has hosted include Patty Chang Anker (Some Nerve: Lessons Learned While Becoming Brave. Riverhead; Penguin) and Ava Chin (Eating Wildly: Foraging for Life, Love, and the Perfect Meal. Simon & Schuster).

Write2TheEnd On Your Summer Vacation

It's summer! Time to enjoy the sun, the surf, the sand -- the creative process!

Kick back, relax, and WRITE!

 At #Write2TheEnd, we look forward to working with those intrepid souls who want to make this summer both productive and enjoyable. If that's you, you belong at our first #Write2TheEnd meeting of the summer session tonight.

At tonight's kick-off meeting, each participant determines his or her personal, challenging, and above all achievable writing goal for a specific project this summer. Then, over the course of the next eight weeks, your #W2TE facilitators promise to do everything in our power to help you achieve that goal.

You might only have the seed of an idea you wish to outline, set a word count, and begin writing. You might have a collection of diaries you wish to turn into a book. You might wish to write and compile parts of an existing poetry collection into a chapbook. You might have a completed first draft and you may be determined to complete the editing process this summer. Whatever your goal, we want to help you meet it.

What's special about #Write2TheEnd?

In a word, INCENTIVE!

At the end of the 8 week session, #Write2TheEnd pays you back $100 of your registration fee if you meet the challenging yet achievable goal YOU set for yourself on night one! (That's tonight!) 

(FYI: We LOVE giving writers money. Seriously.) 

We'll provide the map: You take the trip!

Tonight (Monday, July 6, 6:30-8:30 PM) we'll help each participant determine an appropriate goal to pursue. And we will spend the entire summer (Mondays, 6:30-8:30 PM, through August 31st) supporting you and providing tools that make it possible for you to achieve that goal!

More than anything in the world, we WANT you to succeed! And we do everything in our power to help you make it happen for yourself this summer. It is possible! You CAN achieve your goal! We'll teach you how. 

The #Write2TheEnd welcomes our alumni from past workshops back for more! You know what you're getting into, and we're grateful for your continued faith in our process.

For those who aren't sure, we offer a one week guarantee. If, before our next meeting (Monday, July 13th), you decide #Write2TheEnd isn't for you, for whatever reason, we will return your registration fee, no questions asked.

You've got nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Networking, Ladder Climbing, and Writing to the End

On June 29, beginning at 6:30 p.m., #Write2TheEnd will be hosting a content-rich mini-workshop full of ways you can immediately start Climbing the Writer's Ladder.

Here's one of the ways: Networking.

What does that mean?

It means taking an interest in writers other than yourself.

It means connecting with them, being interested in their process, their journey, their books, and their lives.

It means reaching out to them and making new friends.

It means attending a booksigning or a lecture, or a reading, or seminar, and supporting them.

It means buying their book, reading it, and telling others about it.

What's it look like in practice? Well, if you were one of the people who packed Forever Books in St. Joseph for Ava Chin's booksigning earlier this month, you've seen it firsthand.

EATING WILDLY's author, Ava Chin, with Ami and Kim.

Kim befriended Ava years ago in an online writing group on a topic both were interested in. When Kim found out that Ava was on a book tour, she lost no time in contacting Forever Books and adding a stop to Ava's itinerary.

We spent a wonderful evening with Ava and her family, after which Ava dubbed us "The Thelma and Louise of writing coaching." (I suspect #Write2TheEnd alums will have no trouble deciding who is who...)

Networking is about connecting on a human level with the person who penned the words on the page. It's not about asking that person to do something for you. It's about forging friendships; about giving instead of taking.

This Monday, Kim and I will touch on many of the topics we present in detail during #Write2TheEnd. We'll focus on giving participants the tools to help them progress from "where you are" to "where you want to be."

We'll also provide a preview of what participants can expect from our #Write2TheEnd Summer Session, which begins right after the holiday, Monday evening, July 6th, 6:30-8:30 PM, at our offices in St. Joe (420 Main Street).

Make this the summer you meet the writing goal that's niggled at you for years--you know the one! And we'll pay you to do it!

What's special about #Write2TheEnd?

When it comes to your Big Writing Project, we'll help you ACE IT:

• Accountability
• Community
• Encouragement
• Inspiration
• TOOLS!

And then there's the famous #Write2TheEnd incentive:

#Write2TheEnd pays you back $100 of your registration fee if you meet the challenging yet achievable goal YOU set for yourself on night one!

We help each participant determine an appropriate goal for him or herself (first class, Monday, July 6, 6:30-8:30 PM). And we will spend the entire summer (Mondays, 6:30-8:30 PM, through August 31st) supporting you and providing tools that make it possible for you to achieve that goal!

More than anything in the world, we WANT you to succeed! And we do everything in our power to help you make it happen for yourself this summer.

It is possible! You CAN achieve your goal! We'll teach you how.

Write What You Want in 2015!

Happy New Year, writers!

I am writer! Hear me roar!

Let's make 2015 your year! It could be...

-- The year you finish that project (you know the one...).

-- The year you find an agent.

-- The year you get published.

-- The year you call yourself a Writer.

To help you meet your goals, we proudly introduce the #Write2TheEnd Lunch & Learn Series.

Our first event: Write What You Want in 2015, will take place on Monday, January 19 (Martin Luther King Day), from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (or so).

Bring your friends, your lunch, and a pen. We’ll provide water, coffee, tea, dessert, and an inspiring session designed to help you get your Inner Writer on!

The world awaits my magnum opus!

At Monday's Lunch & Learn, you'll draw inspiration from some local success stories. And, as with all of our #Write2TheEnd programs, you'll walk away with tools you can immediately put to work. 

Among other things, we'll explain how to:

·      Determine what project to focus on first

·      Recognize a good idea

·      Set attainable goals

·      Challenge yourself

·      Acquire needed skills

     o   Prepping & pre-writing

     o   Writing

     o   Editing

     o   Polishing

     o   Querying

     o   Marketing

·      Build a support network

·      Find your fans

To register, click the button below. Space is limited to the first 20 registrants.

What:   Write What You Want in 2015  #Write2TheEnd Lunch & Learn

When:  Monday, January 19  from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Where: 420 Main Street, St. Joseph, MI

Cost:    $35 / person  

Write What You Want in 2015 Mini-Session — $35

Monday, January 19, 2015 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

   

As always, tuition is free for alumni of #Write2TheEnd (TM) Writers Workshops.

Child care may be arranged. If you need child care, please let us know in advance.

We look forward to seeing you. 

Here's to the best 2015 imaginable. Come, #Write2TheEnd with us!

Write2TheEnd: Epiphanies, Priorities, and What's Next?

We wrapped our fall session of #Write2TheEnd last night with an epic THREE HOUR dinner at Ryebelle's with our new and forever *Writer* (with a capital W!) friends.

We were one participant down because SHE WAS GIVING BIRTH to our first #W2TE baby!! Even so, I can't believe none of us remembered to get a picture of our gathering! *head desk* Or of our participants with their certificates!! Ugh!

Ah well. I guess we were too happy that Ken was able to join us in Real Life this time.  For most of our meetings he participated via Skype from his travels in South Korea and China for his son's wedding! We are so proud of and impressed by his devotion to his project (which he completed), and by the support he received from his wife and family when he asked for it.

This is a lesson for us all in any creative endeavor. Our loved ones want to help and offer their support. Sometimes (always) we just need to verbalize what it is we need in order to receive it so we can meet success.

Same sun: going down in Michigan; rising in South Korea.

What Ken did right, and what we can all do in our daily lives, is he made his writing *work* a priority, even on the other side of the world.

He had a moment of pure joy and self-acceptance when "Writer" popped out of his mouth in response to customs asking for his profession -- which delighted us almost as much as seeing the sunrise from South Korea mirroring the sunset in southwest Michigan. Surreal.

Another epiphany we discussed: it's important to choose a project to focus on that speaks to the soul of the writer. If you are successful in getting a piece published, if you enjoy fame and notoriety from your work, you will speak about, think about, live, eat, and breathe your story for years to come.

Think of Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville (or Cheeseburger in Paradise, Heaven-forbid), of Lynard Skynard's Free Bird. Artists perform their biggest hits at every gig to the end of their careers -- they damn well better love them! It's so much easier to do the work -- to succeed -- when you're doing it for yourself, when it feeds your soul, versus because you *should.*

As to what's next for #Write2TheEnd? We began with a goal of building a community of working writers. Thus far, we have worked only with local writers. We LOVE working face-to-face with each and every one of our participants. We want to keep our class size small so we can truly make a difference, so we can offer each paying participant a one-on-one, so that we can continue to over deliver and adjust our instruction so it best meets the needs of those who show up to learn during each season's session.

Sadly, we won't be offering an 8-week winter session. We are committed, however, to keeping our growing community supported and active and, most importantly, WRITING, throughout the holidays and winter months. If you are hungry for a driven, supportive, knowledgable writing community to help you move forward in your writing career, we hear you. If you are not local to Southwest Michigan, we hear you, too. We will offer a very limited number of remote opportunities to participants in #Write2TheEnd Mini-Courses. Stay tuned for more information.

Something we didn't expect when we began working with local writers in September was how fond we would become of these Writers who invested in themselves -- and in us -- because they believed they had a story to tell. We didn't anticipate holding back tears when it was time to say good-bye. We didn't anticipate looking at each other like proud parents when one of our participants delivered her completed chapbook to us as a thank you, or how the hairs on our arms would stand at attention when we could identify her use of some of the tools we taught, how her writing moved us and stayed with us on our drive (or walk) home, as we breathed in the aromatic fumes of a homemade soup, or kissed our children goodnight, making us savor moments and glimpses and hold these tight against our hearts.

However could we have known what teaching you has taught us? What it has gifted us? We can't wait for our next 8-week session in the spring, and we can't wait for the next time we are lucky enough to #Write2TheEnd with you.