E.B. White, one of the greatest essayist of the modern era, said that he was “not inclined to apologize” for his anxieties about writing. “A writer’s courage can easily fail him,” he observed while accepting the National Medal for Literature. “I feel this daily.”  

That E.B. White struggled with his writing should bring comfort to those of you who want to write but don’t know how to start. Writers hem themselves in when they carry limiting and false beliefs, beliefs like real writers are published. Real writers get paid for their writing. Real writing is effortless and inspired. Nonsense.

Real writing is dangerous work. Real writers know that anxiety lurks in every pause, every failed sentence, and even in success. That’s why Katherine Anne Porter believed that courage—not talent, or story—but courage, is the first essential for a writer.

One way to overcome anxiety is to befriend it, to use it in your work. Writing retreats and workshops are the perefect setting for writers to work through their fears, hone their craft, share their wisdom, and celebrate success. My workshops offer several benefits including small groups of fewer than 12 women at once; inspiration and compassion from a group of comitted, working writers; technical support and fundamentals training; structure, time, and accountability; enthusiasm and encouragement. Results will be immediate and concrete. Isn't it time you invested in your writing self? Issac Asimov quipped, "If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster." Now is the time to tell your story. Are you ready to type a little faster?