Over the past weekend at the Hay House Writer’s Workshop in Chicago, many wonderful new writers filled in a ballot to enter our draw to win one of two scholarships for $500 towards a 2015 W&W Retreat.
For those of you who are new to this newsletter, I thought this might be a great time to introduce myself, Julie Colvin, the founder of Wellness & Writing Retreats.
In the early days of my career as a medical imaging technologist in ultrasound and radiology, I would not have imagined then that I would get swept up into the world of writing the way that I have now. After fourteen years in the medical field, I transitioned to natural healing modalities and philosophies to help my daughter manage an autoimmune disease she developed at age seven. It was at this time that I started writing and became a Hay House junkie, attending the first Writer’s Workshop in 2009 on a cruise to Alaska. This was also the same time our wonderful writing coach, Lisa Fugard joined Hay House as their writing instructor.
At this time I embarked on my serendipitous path to meet all of the right people at all the right times: book proposal coaches, writing coaches, editors and platform nerds; my journey to write a memoir, A Cure for Emma began. I got an agent & publisher on my first query – hit #1 in four different categories on Amazon over four weeks – then responded to the countless people who reached out to me for help to write their stories by creating “Wellness & Writing Retreats.”
Fast Forward. I’ve helped over sixty writers in some capacity (usually book proposals and ghostwriting) to bring their stories to publication. I’m entering a third year working with my treasured friend and business partner, Lisa Fugard, in breathtaking locations around the world, and my second year since I was blessed with the opportunity to join Kelly Notaras at kn literary arts as a book proposal coach, editor and ghostwriter. At the moment, I’m ghostwriting a lovely memoir with a creative twist, where I finally get to try my hand at fiction as I write with the voice of Karma… a dog. Such fun!
I’m a reader turned writer…a writer turned editor…and an excellent student, eager to learn at every turn. I’m thrilled to meet all of you, and even more excited that I was able to get my Hay House fix when I accepted an invitation to join Kelly Notaras in Chicago this past weekend.
My husband, two teenagers and two cats support my life mantra: “To build a life I don’t need a vacation from.” Wellness & Writing Retreats is a culmination of all of my passions in life: creativity, travel, luxury accommodations, amazing healthy food, writing and most importantly, friendships that last a lifetime.
My goal when creating these Retreats has been to provide these essential qualities with smaller groups to accomodate a more intimate atmosphere for all writers; an atmosphere filled with unconditional acceptance, compassion and support, regardless of the size of your platform! It is our mission to help you to build that ominous “P” word, along with your writing skills, your purpose and networking opportunities; and maybe we just might eat a little authentic self-made oven baked pizza “in Italy” along the way!
I’d like to share my turn at one of Lisa Fugard’s writing prompts that Nancy Levin passed along to our Chicago group this past weekend:
I Use To Be: A nervous wanna-be-writer who attended the very first Hay House Writer’s Workshop and was so overwhelmed that I declared I’d stick to my day job and play it safe.
And Now I’m: A bestselling published author, a facilitator for life changing Retreats held in breathtaking areas around the world, as well as a book proposal coach & ghostwriter. In the words of Mike Dooley…WOO WHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
As great a start as this all sounds, I have to admit to you that only six years into that “ten” year plan of overnight success, I still felt as awkward and unsure of myself this past weekend in Chicago as I did when I took that courageous first step back in 2009. It overwhelms me once again to be reminded of the hard work involved to bring one’s purpose and gifts to a world-wide audience. But this time, I will choose to remain content with where I am. Not complacent, but accepting. Not afraid of the process anymore, but allowing of myself to continue to open doors that present themselves to me, curious to see where my next adventure will lead. Adventures like our upcoming Retreat in Sedona Arizona, May 22nd to May 27th, 2015 – designed for writers just like you!
Baby step your way towards a healthier platform.
At our next Sedona Retreat, we will address the importance of honing your skills as a writer by crafting shorter essays and stories designed for literary publications, journals and magazines. While sharpening your creative skills, we will also guide you on how to define the true “Essence” of your message while you work your way towards becoming a more seasoned writer in the eyes of prospective agents and publishers. This will in turn, help your book proposal become stronger.
Surrounded by the sacred energy that is Sedona, organic healthy food and an atmosphere conducive to creativity and connection, you will leave this Retreat with a profound sense of peace and purpose as well as new written material and tools to help you approach publication outlets. For more details – Please click here.
Please note that all of the participants for last weekend’s Chicago Hay House Writer’s Workshop will receive a 10% discount towards an upcoming 2015 W&W Retreat – AND – let’s not forget about the winners of the two $500 scholarships which will be announced on our Facebook page later today (Wednesday March 24th.) So be sure to “Like” our Wellness & Writing Retreats Facebook Page – Click Here to see if YOU are the winner!
For all the details of our Sedona Retreat – Click Here