Writer’s Digest named BaneOfYourResistance one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers. As the Brits would say, I’m chuffed. But…
The honor upped the ante. I felt pressured to post more often. I was driving myself crazy trying to get an unprecedented number of posts written in advance and scheduled to appear while Claudia and I will be traveling. Then I realized that because my website doesn’t have advertisers, the pressure was entirely self-imposed. I got over my self-importance.
I decided to take a break from blogging — essential downtime for my brain, extended Self-care, if you will.
For years, writer friends have told me how valuable retreats have been for them, but between teaching, coaching and family commitments, I never found time for an official retreat. (In fact, I won a week residency when I earned a Loft Teacher of the Year award; I cherished the recognition and gave the residency to another Teaching Artist.) Now that I’m “semi-retired,” which was designed to give me more writing time, I’m finally going to take a novelist’s retreat. (More about benefits of writer’s retreats here and here.)
You might want to invest in a writer’s retreat if you’re pressuring yourself in response to a recent honor, acknowledgement or achievement. Or if you’re pressuring yourself in response to the sound of crickets you’ve been hearing lately. That’s the way resistance goes; either end of a spectrum can cause it.
You can pay (a LOT or less) for an organized retreat or disappear for a weekend at a friend’s cabin. One of my writer friends takes a retreat in the back of her own house, stocking the fridge and unplugging from her phone and other screens of distraction. I’m retreating with Claudia and Kelda, and we’re…
Goin’ Snorklin’
It’s in the single digits in Minneapolis on the day I write this, and the ocean around Florida beckons.
By the time you read this (thanks to the miracle of the WordPress scheduling function), we’ll be on our way from Cape Coral to the Keys, where I plan to snorkel off the dock of our vacation rental every morning. We’ll snorkel in Florida state parks at least twice a week and I might scuba dive once or twice.
In other words, my fingers will be pruny when I put them on the keyboard to visit Peregrine and the rest of her family on the planet Path (where my novels unfold).
I’ll be back to blogging new posts in mid-April; until then you have 10 years of archived posts to explore. Archives are listed on the right side of your screen when you’re on a laptop; when you’re on your phone, scroll to the very bottom and click on View Full Site, then scroll down to Archives on the right.
Or you can use the Search box (top right corner) to look for specific topics. Or throw a dart at these shortlinks to randomly access some of my favorite posts.
https://wp.me/pvc0s-28 followed by https://wp.me/pvc0s-Qb then https://wp.me/pvc0s-Qi
https://wp.me/pvc0s-Fd followed by https://wp.me/pvc0s-Fv
Bane of Your Resistance 
You must be having a wonderful time – you deserve it :).
LikeLike
Thank you! We did have a fabulous time.
LikeLike
Oh no! I had only just discovered your great website which matches all my interests as a blogger on freewriting and I was building up to writing and sending you a guest post. Can I still do that? Will you be around to read it? By the way, I absolutely applaud your decision to ignore “ego” and go on retreat to write, I just wish you hadn’t gone and done it now! Seriously, though, have a great time and I hope you come back refreshed and ready to continue with Bane of Your Resistance which is a cut above most websites on writing in my opinion.
LikeLike
Thanks Kathy! Yes, you can still send a guest post. Take a look at the Guest Post Guidelines page
https://baneofyourresistance.com/guest-post-guidelines/ and send me what you want when you’re ready (be sure to include the special word in the email subject line). I can’t guarantee when I’ll reply, but I do check email every three days or so.
LikeLike
Never got to the Keys, Rosanne, I lived in Fort Lauderdale a few years and loved it. Enjoy!
LikeLike
Thanks! We are definitely enjoying our time away from Minnesota winter.
LikeLike
Hi Rosanne. I never scuba dived but I did snorkel a lot when I lived in Florida. What a great experience! Hope you’re having a wonderful, refreshing retreat!
LikeLike
Thanks Sharon! Do you have any must-snorkel spots in the Keys?
LikeLike