Hello from the rabbit hole.

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The next draft of my novel is due on September 30th. Yes, September 30th — four days from now. I’m so deep in my revision that I don’t have a new letter for you. My mind can’t focus on anything but the book right now. I’m in it. 

Instead, I’ve put together a roundup of what’s going on at Story Is a State of Mind School right now. There’s so much happening! Check it out:   

1. Have you had a look at our Special Programs page lately? We made a few exciting new programs for you this fall:  

Writing With Horses. It’s back! This time, I’m extending a special invitation to writers who are working on a project and are struggling with something that feels “sticky.” Bring your writing problem and spend three days working on it with me, equine therapist Jennifer Schramm, and the horses.  Join us for this retreat on October 13-15, 2017, in King City, Ontario.    

Sunrise Writing Practice Sessions. This morning was the final meeting of our September Writing Practice, and I’m pleased to say that we’ll be offering these again in November, this time on Mondays at 9:00am ET. So if you’re on the West Coast and weren’t able to join us last time — this is your early morning writing class. Sign up here.    

AWP Field Trip & Retreat. Registration is now officially open! You’re invited to join us — along with 7 other writers — in Tampa, Florida in March 2018. Experience the Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference as part of a guided field trip. Stay with us in a beautiful waterfront home; we’ll eat our meals together, debrief after the events each day, and provide you with a custom AWP experience that will make this overwhelming conference fulfilling, fun, and easy. If you’re interested in deepening your relationship to the literary scene and want to learn more about the writing industry, find out more here.     


2. Right now, we’re gathering stories from you and the writers in our community, for a brand-new Alumni News section on our site. I love finding out what’s going on with your writing life. When I hear about your writing success — anything from establishing a new writing routine to having a story accepted for publication to finally understanding an elusive character — I celebrate! Many writers write me directly with their updates, and I thought it was high time we made those celebrations public. Do you have a writing success story you’d like to share? Tell me about it!    


3. Last week, we shipped a big box of books to County Kids Read, thanks to your generosity! If you didn’t get a chance to participate, you can still buy books from the County Kids Read Amazon wish list. Simply choose to have them delivered directly to the County Kids Read gift registry shipping address and help put books directly in the hands of kids who need them.    


4. Right now, our Story Intensive students are working on Lesson Three. Those of you who have done the Intensive or The Story Course know what happens in Lesson Three: it’s all about character. It’s also where resistance starts to get serious.


If you’re in a place with your writing right now where you’re feeling resistance, you’re not alone. All successful writers have felt stuck, and gone through it. As you struggle to make it past this hump, know that you are feeling this along with every other writer in the past, present, and future. You are in great company. It can be really hard to keep going, if the voices in your head are telling you to stop, if your sentences feel stodgy. Remind yourself: the slodgy feeling will pass, and your sentences will brillify. 

To be a writer, you don’t have to write something perfect, you just have to write.    

Okay. Enough now. This non-letter has turned into a bonafide letter, and I must return to my book! 

If you have any questions about our new programs this fall, don’t hesitate to hit reply to this email and reach out. 

With love,



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