IWSG: Spring Has Sprung - Renew, Revive and Rejuvenate!

Main Posts Background Image

Main Posts Background Image

Wednesday, May 06, 2015

IWSG: Spring Has Sprung - Renew, Revive and Rejuvenate!

Spring is the time to shake off the shackles of winter inactivity, to throw open the doors and windows, breathe deep, and start cleaning. For me, it’s going from this:


To this:


For me, the harbinger of spring has always been my Mid-Michigan chapter of RWA’s Retreat from Harsh Reality in April. For three days, we writers gather to relax, brainstorm, critique, reconnect with our friends and our projects, and refocus our energies in a laidback atmosphere that over the past 30 years has gone from dorm rooms at the local university to posh accommodations at a lakeside resort. While we’ve always featured fabulous speakers and casual workshops and events, the main attraction for me has always been a place to Retreat. To get away.

As writers, moms and dads, students, 9-to-5ers, etc. we get so busy with the busyness of day-to-day we often forget to just take a minute to step back and breathe. To let mind and body rest so we can invite inspiration back in on the next inhalation. I was lucky this spring to not only attend our Retreat, but to escape altogether for a weeklong trip to visit my critique partner in AZ. Every morning I was able to get up early (still on Michigan time) and take my coffee to a special office niche to watch the desert come alive around a trickling fountain. Can you say peaceful oasis? Because the WiFi was limited, I couldn’t download the proofs I was supposed to be doing or engage in Social Media. So I found myself pulled back into the W-I-P I’d been struggling with, and before the week was out had four chapters complete and the rest of the book solidly plotted. Amazing what the mind can do when distractions are limited to the beauty of nature. Le sigh . . .



I know we can’t all pack up our troubles and tensions to escape for a week. Sometimes finding even a few hours is difficult enough. But take time to make time. Find a quiet place in the sun to watch the world move around you and let mind and spirit wander. Seek out like-minded souls who awaken the passion in your writer’s heart. Then it becomes that much easier to not just grow where you’re planted . . . but to thrive.

Because in Spring thoughts turn to Romance, I’m excited that Amazon selected my w/a Dana Ransom contemporary title FROM THIS DAY FORWARD for their Big Deal promotion. Starting May 8, it’s available for just $1.99 (!). Take a copy to the beach or the deck or someplace you can dream and lose yourself between the pages.





Can two broken hearts make a perfect match?

Widowed on her honeymoon, Robyn Lee pours all her unfulfilled dreams of a happily-ever-after into her wedding planner business, hiding her own heartbreak by making perfect memories for couples beginning the loving future she was denied. The last thing she needs is for the brother of her dream client--whose endorsement will guarantee Robyn's success--to rock the boat . . . and her regimented world.

Through the lens of his camera, photojournalist Kyle Travers has witnessed all the ugliness life can offer. Still reeling from the death of his coworker in the field, he sees the frilly job of photographer at his sister's wedding as an annoyance--until he meets the steely organizer who protects her broken spirit almost as fiercely as he does his own--making him wonder if two fractured halves can make a stronger whole.

Nancy Gideon, writing as Dana Ransom, is the award-winning author of over 55 romances in a number of genres including historical, contemporary suspense, and paranormal. She works full time as a legal assistant in Southwestern Michigan, and when not at the keyboard, feeds a Netflix addiction along with all things fur, fin, and fowl. She's also written under the pen names Rosalyn West and Lauren Giddings.





Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
IWSG awesome co-hosts for the May 6 posting of the IWSG will be Eva Solar, Melanie Schulz, Lisa-Buie Collard, and Stephen Tremp!

8 comments

  1. Good post, Nancy. Love, love, love retreat. This year was exceptional. Congrats on Amazon's Big Deal.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nancy, I grew up in MIchigan and loved the snow and seasonal changes. Crazy, I know. I really do miss them. I'f love to do a writers retreat. But I'd have to bring the entire fam.

    Stephen Tremp
    IWSG Co-host

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The seasons are great except my two favorites - spring and fall - only seem to last for two weeks!

      Delete
  3. Spring is a lovely season.

    Congratulations on Amazon selecting your book for their Big Deal promotion! I hope it brings you a ton of sales. :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm so glad that we are able to connect at Retreat! And I hope you enjoyed your trip to AZ. :) At least, now the weather is nice here!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Awesome about the Big Deal promotion!
    I used to live in Arizona and there's just something about the desert that's peaceful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, AZ is a fab place to think about retiring . . .

      Delete