Writing SOS

The next time you're stuck on a creative decision, try this simple reset:

First, notice the quality of your thinking. Is there confusion?

Do you feel calm, fascinated, relaxed and focused?

If not: Pause. Step away from your writing. 

Go somewhere quiet for five minutes. Breathe deeply, settle into your body, and regulate your nervous system. 

Do you need a drink of water? A walk outside? To call a friend? 

Lie down on the floor spread out like a starfish?

Do whatever you need to do. 

Once you feel calm and centred again (and not before you do), see if you can bring to mind one small, micro-tiny detail that feels true. 

It could be one tiny crystal of salt… 

spilled from a shaker on the table at that diner on Main Street that has the old-fashioned milkshake machines. 

It could be one tiny clinking sound… 

so quiet you hold your breath, and hear the voice of a young faerie as she calls your name from under the violet leaves in the forest floor of Trendonne Castle. 

It could be one tiny certainty… 

the peace of knowing that yes you’ve re-written this scene so many times, and no the new versions aren’t better, they’re just different, and right now is a good time to stop re-writing, pick one of these versions, let it be done, and move on. 

Your intuition can come in many forms. But it needs you to be well-resourced, rested, hydrated, and available to receive it. 

Remember that your writing wants to connect with you, and your job is to stay present.

Work with me in person in British Columbia this summer.

Writing with Intuition Retreat

August 7-12th 2026.

Hollyhock Centre, Cortes Island

I’ll teach you how to learn from your dreams, your tarot cards, your own body. 

Your teachers will also be: tide pools, bioluminescence, wild blackberries, fir trees, blue whales, and the waning crescent moon.

You’ll learn embodied writing techniques you can use every day, so you can live a deeply connected writing life when you go back home. 

Expect deep rest and inspiration. Also: starfish.

This is a special retreat for writers who are done overthinking and ready to feel the love. 

It doesn’t matter what you’re writing, or what creative phase you’re in. This is open to everyone who is interested in writing with more intuition.

If this is you, meet me there.

Photo credit (top): Pedro Lastra on Unsplash.