Imagine a world where you can do all the things you dream of, like writing your book or script without self-imposed obstacles, avoidance or procrastination.
Somehow we’ve forgotten that…
‘The writing itself, once you get down to it, doesn’t take long. It’s everything you do to avoid writing that takes up all the time. If you put your mind to it you could write a book on a weekend!’
The sad fact is we are all great avoiders and last minute artists, every one of us – how do you think the world ended up in such a mess!
So who is this avoidance gremlin wheedling its way into our best laid plans? How can we find a way deal with our avoidance addiction before it’s too late?

I have put some of my anti procrastination tips in to a new eBook – Avoidance Buster Manual which is available to any one who wants to join or rejoin my mailing list (to the right of this screen).

After completing the easy exercises in the manual you will be armed with an ongoing strategy for dealing with all your avoidance and procrastination habits and be well on the way to achieving your writing goals.

You will also receive fortnightly support emails to help you on your writer’s journey. But the best way of course is to join us on one of our creative adventures!

BOOKING NOW!  June: Desert Writers, July: Backstage Bali, Nov:Mekong Meditations, Dec:Burmese Temple Tour, January: Moroccan Caravan.

I love the moments on our writer’s retreats when the breakthroughs start to happen.  You would hope for it on a course called Breakthrough Writing, as our annual Fiji retreat which finished last week, is aptly named. But it’s not going to happen straight away unless simply getting off the plane in Savusavu Bay and slowing down to the pace of the locals relaxes you so much, you just can’t help yourself. Sometimes it’s when we get out the coloured pens and make our first story maps that things start to fall into place, or when you slip into a voice you know is so right for your story you want to shout – hallelujah! It could be that you discover your favorite three chapters have to get the chop(and you are ready to let them go) or you’ve worked out how to cut 10,000 words down to 1,000. It might be that giving yourself a week to concentrate just on your writing; no cooking, shopping, worrying about all the small details of life, opens the creative faucet and you wonder how on earth you will ever stop it. It certainly has something to do with devoting time to working on your craft, receiving positive encouragement and daily feedback and becoming involved in the development each other’s stories; as if through the daily activity of sharing our stories and the processes of writing we draw the strength and courage to finally inhabit the uniqueness our own writers’ voice. The same voice that at the beginning of the week we were so unsure about. I can’t wait to do it all again with the Desert Writers in June!

BOOKING NOW!  June: Desert Writers, July: Backstage Bali, Nov:Mekong Meditations, Dec:Burmese Temple Tour, January: Moroccan Caravan.

 Fiji 2012 Feedback    View photos now on Flickr

I had a wonderful week in all ways. I’ve added another 2000 words to my tale since leaving and I just want to do it all the time. Unfortunately other things get in the way…the washing, cooking, grandsons etc. Not that I’m complaining. I’ve found first thing in the morning works really well, but now I have to re-discipline myself to do exercise later. It’ll all come together I am sure. Thank you Jan for your guidance and inspiration. Di Lucas.

I feel clear now on my writing path, Jan, and what I need to do to on my story. I am very grateful to you for your  laid back, highly skillful guidance. Elizabeth Biff Ward.

I’m STILL inspired. Not really wanting to do anything else at the moment except get this book finished.Thanks for making it such a special time for me. Bronwen Logan

Jan of the’ steel hand and velvet glove’, does it again.  Chris Richards.

Recently I was asked to speak at a professional development seminar for writers in Sydney, organised by the Australian Writers Network. On a panel called The Midwives of Your Manuscript (the other speakers were Jean Bedford, Carl Harrison Ford, Alison Green of Pantera Press with moderator Irina Dunn), I spoke about the benefits of mutual mentoring as a first step in getting feedback for your work. At my workshops and retreats we do this at all stages of the writing, breaking into small groups to give and receive detailed critiquing on all aspects of the work. We do it also in Draft Swap where writers take away others manuscripts for a thorough going over. For several drafts WE become the script assessors and editors of each others work, honing it, reworking and offering the kind of advice only fellow writers can give. By the third or fourth draft when we have the manuscript as tight as we can get it, only then will we think of sending it off to a manuscript assessor or publisher. The benefits of working this way are numerous and you save yourself the money and pain of receiving an assessment on work that hasn’t yet shown it’s full potential. The same results can be acheived of course by one on one mentoring and I have had the privilege of working closely with a number of writers on a long term basis. I have also added some new services to my mentoring page including  Weekly Wake Up Call – a phone call monday mornings and friday afternoons to keep you on track with your writing goals; Desperate Debrief - a once off session to unload or discuss ANY creative problem, Six Week Stint -weekly creative development sessions towards a six week deadline and MORE.

If you are looking for an immediate injection of ideas and energy into your work there are still some spaces left on Breakthrough Writing In Fiji , March 10 – 17. It’s not too late to join!

In Australia February is the month of going back to school, back to work and why not add – back to the writing. Of course it is always ‘back to the writing’ for us especially if we are having trouble setting goals and keeping them. Simply making a commitment to come back to the writing every day and write something, anything – without worrying about lofty goals. Like a zen monk or nun who sweeps every day simply for the sake of sweeping, we must clear our mind of the useless chatter of  ‘how do I start, will I ever finish, will my writing be good enough?’ These are the demons that block, the little gremlins whose prime task is to distract us from our important goal. Unlike an Olympic athlete who must train for four years for a shot at gold we have a shot at it every day. Even if it is a single word, expression, sentence, paragraph or idea, it will soon add up to something; like the single sheets of gold leaf that cover the famous gold pagoda, Shwedagon in Yangon, Myanmar, where I visited recently. The impact of being in the presence of so much shimmering gold is extraordinary and reminds us of the potential we all have to ‘go for gold’ in our work, our relationships, our spiritual lives, our writing. Every day, a tiny speck of gold can contribute to the deeper expression of our selves. Every day we go down to the mines and drag up another fine filament, pound it into shape, fashion it into gold leaf and add it to our own shrine – the temple of our creativity. If I seem to be am waxing on a bit too much, let me take you to Shwedagon so you can have the experience yourself. I guarantee you will never forget it.  ‘ Mystic Myanmar’ is in planning as we speak. More details will be available soon.

Mean while get a kick start to your writing year in with Breakthrough Writing in Fiji, March 10 – 17. Booking now! Don’t miss out!

When New Year comes around it’s always a good opportunity to renew your writing resolutions. However we all know how hard they are to keep. With the best intentions we may set our goals too high then give up too quickly when we find they are hard to keep. It is better to set a modest goal like writing for ten minutes a day than promising to write 3000 words a day, seven days a week. 500 words a day is always my target. I know once I start I will always do more and I have the satisfaction of achieving it easily. Of course you have to remember to give your self days off and pace yourself so you don’t expend all your energy in your first burst then have nothing left. Making writing part of your daily rituals like cleaning your teeth is good. Sit down with your morning tea or coffee and write for five or ten minutes. Write in dot points if you have too then make an appointment with yourself to write them up later in the day. The Write When You Can method is good for busy people with unpredictable schedules but requires a commitment to use any spare moment for your writing.

You also need to make sure to have some solid time blocks pencilled on the weekends for consolidating your weekly snippets. If weekdays are a complete wipe out you can always set aside time on the weekends. If you need some extra guidance I’m pleased to announce the revised edition of the  WRITE YOUR BOOK ON A WEEKEND Workbook is now available as an E book. If you follow the WOW plan in three to six months you could have your draft finished! Get your copy now at the Writers Journey Shop.

BOOKING NOW!  Fiji Island Lab, Desert Writers, Backstage Bali, Mekong Meditations, Moroccan Caravan.