In this chaotic world, even dreaming about a retreat feels good.

February 1-7, 2027, we will be returning to Playa Negra, Costa Rica, this time joined by Selah Saterstrom, to immerse ourselves and our writing in the magic of the jungle, the howl of monkeys, and the majesty of the Pacific Ocean.

May 23-28, 2027, we will be traveling to the famous Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico, to work on our books in Georgia O’Keeffe’s (actual!) studio space for a 5-day, time-out-of time communion with ghosts of artists past.

And we are SOLD OUT IN GRAND LAKE this September, but I’m beginning a waiting list.

There are TWO SPOTS LEFT IN SPAIN this October! We would LOVE to have you!

Registration opens to the public in April.

Want early access??

Many retreats have been known to sell out before they open to the public.

Request the registration link 24 hours before it goes public! 

Dear Friend, 

Happy holiday season!!
Here, at the end of a truly crazy year, I felt compelled to reach out and talk about one of my favorite topics: Celebration!
And why we all need to celebrate ourselves right now.
Not tomorrow.
Right now.
And I have a lot to say about this…and about banana splits!! READ ON!

But first: a few important announcements (and I’m going to make a BIG announcement in January–watch for that.)

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NEW 2026 WORKSHOPS
As many of you know, my focus over the last four years has been shifting towards my favorite part of the writing process: the long-term journey of writing a book–that beautiful, messy collaboration with The Muse where we get to live into this glorious creative life with long-term vision.

And to that end, I’m inviting you to step into a new vision with me:
 Launch, Sustain, and Transform 
Your (Flash) Novel, Novella, Collection, or Creative Non-Fiction Project in 2026

Maybe it’s a brand-new idea, or an idea you’ve had forever.
Maybe it’s a novel or novella, creative non-fiction or a memoir in flashes, or maybe you’re finally ready to put together a collection?

Maybe you’ve already started…and stalled?
You want guidance and accountability. You want to stop talking about it and do it!
I get it. It’s time.

Welcome to The Creative Mastermind:

Transform your Creative Practice and Bring Your (Flash) Novel, Novella, Collection, or Creative Non-Fiction Project to Fruition.
Three or six months of personal support and transformation including private 1-on-1 sessions, group coaching calls, 12+ weeks of original, guided content, plus bonus book clubs, the 6-week writing sprint (included) and a private, handpicked community of talented and dedicated writers on the journey with you.
Applications accepted on a space-available basis.
 MORE INFORMATION HERE

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AND NOW……
THE END OF THE YEAR PEP TALK:
CELEBRATE YOURSELF!
(or why you need to eat a banana split right now!)

Okay, my friends–it’s time to talk about celebration. Not holiday celebration, or family celebration–but celebrating YOURSELF.

NOW. Not later.

You might be thinking: But I don’t have anything to celebrate right now! I don’t have a book out, or a story in the Best Blah Blah Blah…shouldn’t I wait until then??

That is exactly why I’m talking about it now—we have this mistaken assumption that we should only celebrate a thing once it’s over—or that celebration should be reserved for a certain kind of accomplishment. I disagree. In a long and fruitful creative life, we must get in the habit of more frequent celebrations: small wins and even losses are a reminder that we are here, that we have stepped into the arena of our own creative flow. That alone is reason for celebration!

Many writers, many humans, let’s be honest, are super stingy with themselves! We allow ourselves only modest luxury, we downplay praise, deflect compliments, etc. When deep down perhaps what we are all craving is that good job, that high-five, that I see you.

So we work very hard to get it externally—we submit. We put ourselves out there. We wait for someone to see us, to acknowledge all our hard work. And maybe, if we’re lucky they do—for a moment. But it’s also just as likely that they don’t. So then what? We nurse our various rejections by working harder, by being even more mean to ourselves. We take our cues, including when and how to celebrate, from the outside world, rather than learning how to read and trust our own internal thermometer and be our own best council.

One of the ways I’ve found to shift this self-dynamic from something punishing to something nurturing is through celebration. Not later, not when a thing is done, but now. Over and over. We can become our own best high-fiver. We can “see” and celebrate ourselves through the many, many ups and downs of the writing life—celebrate every rejection because it means I put myself out there and that took courage. Celebrate the progress of each week and the way we continue showing up for ourselves. Celebrate the breakthrough idea, the early morning insight—celebrate staying in the chair one more day.

This practice started very organically for me. As a young writer putting herself out there, I got a lot of rejections. Which are not pleasant, of course! But I realized if I was going to keep going and not become dejected, I needed to flip my mindset. I declared that every time I got a rejection, I would go out for banana splits. Not just ice cream, but the Big Banana Split with all the extra scoops and sprinkles and nuts and mounds of whipped cream and a cherry—I would make it a real occasion. And honestly, it’s hard to be down when you’re eating a big mound of ice cream with whipped cream and cherries.

So that continued for several years until I got my first yes.

Oh no. How do I celebrate that?

Turns out: the same.

I declared banana splits the appropriate celebration for both kinds of occasions (also good for layoffs, heartbreaks, etc.) until celebrating was such a regular part of my life that the line between good and bad started to fade, and I had to invent new ways to celebrate the bigger things to come. And yes, eventually the books, too.

Now I don’t mean to suggest that your celebrations must involve sugar or even eating, but for me that was a quick and easy way to mark the moment. For you it could be lottery tickets, a bottle of wine, an afternoon off work, taking yourself to a movie, buying a new book or a new notebook. It could be flowers or a haircut or a new pair of socks. But the point is to mark the moment! Don’t put off celebrating tomorrow what is alive today.

You might be thinking: why is this important at all? Shouldn’t I just get back to writing and quit messing around?

My husband and I have married each other dozens of times. Some of those have been formal and witnessed by others, most of them have been private, spontaneous exchanges that keep our relationship alive, a living contract rather than a 1-time event. And having this attitude toward commitment and celebration naturally helps our relationship focus on daily gratitude, daily wonder.

Our creative relationship is no different. Through the ups and downs, through the wins and losses, we must find a way to return to the wonder that is art, return to ourselves and our commitment to stay, learn to pour a little hot fudge over the scorched earth of our daily ebbs and flows, nurse the sting of a “no” side by side with the thrill of a “yes”—and put whipped cream on both.

To writing, travel, joy, and camaraderie in 2026!
Love,
Nancy