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Monday, May 20, 2013

Getting Away From it All by Rebecca Zanetti

Art is not in the ...eye of the beholder. It's in the soul of the artist.   --Seth Goden

So, my local RWA chapter took off for a weekend writer’s retreat up at Schweitzer mountain, a local ski resort, this past weekend.  To sum it up:  it was awesome!

This is a picture of the view from our condo.  The lake far down below was stunning, and the rain clouds created quite the opportunity to write.  I think that as writers, we need to venture out once in a while.  Not to just get away from people, laundry, and day jobs, but to something new.  A new environment where we can just take a deep breath and let the ideas arrive.

I always wondered about those folks pounding away on a keyboard in my local Starbucks.  Didn’t they have an office at home?  Or a kitchen table?  Now that I’ve been writing for a few years, I get it.  Sometimes you need to be surrounded by different sights, sounds, and smells to stay creative.  Especially when you’re under a couple of deadlines, and that laundry is starting to look like fun in comparison.

I think it’s also good to be surrounded by other writers for a time.  They understand.  No matter how supportive your spouse, friends, or family  are…they don’t quite understand how a detailed rejection can be good, or what a big deal it really is to hit one of those bestseller lists once you’re published.  Sure, they’re happy for you.  But they don’t really know how hard it is to get there.  Other writers get it.

So, if you’re having trouble getting ideas on paper at your kitchen table, maybe grab that laptop and head out into the world.  If you can’t take a weekend at a retreat, go to Starbucks, your local library, or somewhere with a view.  Even if you have to sit in your car while it rains to see that view.  Maybe you’ll be inspired.  J

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
--George Bernard Shaw
Book 2-- Maverick Montana series, UNDER THE COVERS, releases May 27th
 
Opposites don’t attract. They ignite.
 
The small Montana town near the Kooskia reserve seemed like the perfect place for Juliet Montgomery to hide from her not-so-law-abiding family. But when her peace is shattered by a break-in and threatening phone calls, it’s clear someone back in New York knows where she is. It’s time to plan her getaway, and fast—but first, she needs to tie up a few loose ends and find out exactly what the town’s sexy cowboy sheriff is hiding.
Sheriff Quinn Lodge has enough demons of his own to know when someone’s hiding something, and he's determined to uncover what’s beneath Juliet’s uptight, city-girl exterior—preferably one piece of clothing at a time. But when their chemistry goes from fizzy to full-on explosive, things start getting complicated.
How can Juliet stay beneath the covers with Quinn, when doing so means blowing her cover?
Bio:  USA Today Bestselling Author Rebecca Zanetti has worked as an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner - only to culminate it all in stories about Alpha males and the women who claim them. She currently has series going with three publishers:  a contemporary cowboy series with Entangled, a dark paranormal series with Kensington, and a romantic-suspense with a paranormal twist series with Grand Central.  Please visit Rebecca at: http://www.rebeccazanetti.com/

1 comment:

Nancy Lee Badger said...

I get it! Now I look forward to an excuse to write on a retreat. My local chapter has been having 'write-ins' once a month on a Saturday morning at a coffee shop. It works!