Danica Favorite’s Writer Retreat

I am so excited to be here on Lucy’s blog. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Danica Favorite, and Lucy has long been a cheerleader for me on the long path to my publication. In case you’re wondering how long, I activelyworked towards publication for twelve years. Yep, I was on the slow learner plan, but it’s been amazing. My third book with Love Inspired Historical will be out in April, and I’m starting to hit my stride as an author.

A funny thing happened to me on the way to publication. I watched authors whose writing I loved disappear off the face of the earth. I saw friends with what I thought were successful writing careers quit writing and get regular jobs. I talked to really good friends who are so talented struggle to get words on the page. And once I sold my first book, I understood why.

Writers have families, lives, jobs, and everything else a normal person has going on in their world. But we have something else as well. On top of all of that, we sit down at our computers, and we write. We pour our hearts out on the page, sometimes getting cheered, but also being booed. I don’t know of many other careers where a person exposes the deepest parts of themselves on an ongoing basis to be met with so much feedback from the world. Over time, balancing it all is exhausting.

We learn about storytelling, craft, and marketing. But no one teaches us how to take care of ourselves. And, to be honest, I don’t think the world teaches that to people much, either. We live in a society where it’s run, run, run, go, go, go, and then do it some more. When you ask a person how they are, most people immediately respond with, “busy.”

I’ve always loved going to retreats, and for years, I’ve had a secret dream to create my own retreat center and make it a haven for people who need rest. I’ve been to a lot of retreats, and one of the things that always made me crazy was that a lot of the retreats seem to have more activities than opportunities for rest. Maybe that’s okay for some people, but in my opinion, that defeats the purpose of having a retreat.

I want to have retreats for everyone, but you’ve got to start small. Which is why I brought my first retreat to a group I know well- my fellow writers. As I dealt with my own impending burnout, sure to end my career before it started, I learned tools and strategies to help nurture myself in ways that made me more creative, more productive, but mostly, happier. Which is what this retreat is about. I’m sharing the tools and ideas that helped me because I want to help others. Selfishly, I don’t want to lose any more writer friends to burnout.

Passion in what we do is a good thing. Being able to create books that touch our readers’ hearts is another good thing. But if we don’t take care of ourselves, we’re going to lose all of it because we have nothing left to give.

If you’re a writer, I’d love to have you join me in Denver, November 8-8. You can be at any stage in your writing career, even if you’re just thinking about being a writer. And if you’re a reader, someday, I’ll have a fun retreat for you too.

In the meantime, reader or writer, I want to encourage you to do something good for yourself. Sometimes it feels selfish to spend time taking care of yourself, but when the well is dry, you don’t have anything for anyone. Leave a comment about something good you’re going to do for yourself today, and I’ll draw a name for someone to win a copy of The Lawman’s Redemption.

About Danica Favorite:

Multipublished author Danica Favorite loves the adventure of living a creative life. Living in her dream home in the mountains, Danica is passionate about helping others live their dreams. After all, what fun is living your dreams alone?

You can connect with Danica at the following places:

Website: http://www.danicafavorite.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/danicafavorite
Instagram: https://instagram.com/danicafavorite/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanicaFavoriteAuthor