Thursday, April 24, 2014

Rejuvenating Retreat by LoRee Peery

LoRee Peery
As writers, sometimes we need a break, but it's not always possible to get away. LoRee Peery offers some great tips to rejuvenate and inspire your creativity without breaking the bank or leaving home. Enjoy! ~Dora

Do you ever ask yourself why you write?
If you have written down the reason(s), as in a mission statement, have you examined your motivation? Writers have motivation (as mentioned), conflict (often called life and family), and goals (we’d better be productive!).

Funny thing about being an author, though, there are steps to publication and that includes a plan. I also need to take the time to refuel.

In January of this year I attended a retreat on productivity sponsored by Romance Authors of the Heartland, in Omaha. I came back so fired up that days later my chiropractor gave me a homeopathic to calm me down!

Before I attended that retreat I had submitted a project to my editor and had written out my 2014 goals with specific projects in mind. That included one last read and sending off a novella to a new critique partner. I also prepared a print-length novel for a critique partner who would be available to read in early February.

With only two ideas and no brainstorming yet, I decided to further my retreat by taking it easy at home for a couple weeks. I worked on small piece quilting projects, I dug into Cheryl St. John’s Emotion, Tension, & Conflict. I did writing exercises while I watched TV and movies.

Have you ever gone on your own retreat? We need occasional breaks to nurture our creativity! You don’t have to go away from home. Weather permitting, your own backyard. Inclement weather? Reserve your favorite chair or cozy couch corner. Close out the world. Let the phone ring (same as you do during your writing time).

If you need a retreat goal, how about: How can I write my next project more efficiently? Or make up one of your own.

Plan…
…wake up and do nothing except start by asking the Lord to open your creative senses.

Relax…
…do something crazy and childish like coloring. You don’t even need a child’s coloring book… go ahead and make your own lines, then color outside that box! Think about the colors… do any evoke emotions?

Read…
…Bible, devotional, a book on writing you’ve not opened yet, a novel outside your genre.

Walk outside…
…or gaze out the window.

Let your mind wander…
…listen… memories… music… verses… characters?

Pray…
…seek inspiration, direction, wisdom, clarity. Be thankful.

Write…
…with paper and pen nearby. Writing exercises are fine. Doodling is expressive.

Praise…
…music is a takeaway, it’s inspiring and uplifting. It touches the spirit. Sing or play, just for you and the Creator of all gifts.

Reward…
…chocolate if you can afford the calories, or something that makes you smile like colorful file folders or a desk whimsy.

Okay, I lived with abandon for a couple weeks. By then I was prepared to brainstorm one of those ideas and write with abandon.

So my question for you… have you sat down recently and attempted to write a new-for-you story? Did that work for you?
LoRee Peery Books
Shana Arnold sequesters herself on Creighton Rice’s ranch near Verdigre, Nebraska, to finish her thesis in order to keep her job working with youth in a residential treatment center.
Until he meets Shana, Creighton has been content alone with his God. He is drawn to Shana against his will. Getting close to her makes him face his lifetime accumulation of scars. Plus, she doesn’t share his faith.
When identity theft, car and job loss, as well as a crazed home invader, threaten Shana’s life, Creighton is there to protect her. But Shana determines a woman can lose everything about her life as she knew it, regain courage and strength through new-found faith. 
Will she leave Creighton’s offer of love in the dust?
About LoRee Peery: A Nebraska country girl, LoRee Peery attempts to see God’s presence every day. Often that gift comes from nature, and she is most relaxed in the outdoors. The call of a cardinal draws her to look for the distinctive flash of crimson. A meadowlark’s melody always transports her to the farm where she grew up. A rainbow holds special significance. LoRee completed a writing challenge called Speedbo in March and is satisfied with the incentive to try something new for writing productivity, thanks to taking it easy early in the year. She clings to I John 5:4 and prays her family sees that faith. You can find her at www.loreepeery.com or the Pelican Book Group site http://tinyurl.com/kwz9enk