Dear friends, today I returned from Troncones, Mexico, where I led a retreat called Radical Revision. Over seven days, we dove deep into 12 manuscripts—fiction and memoir— bringing curiosity, devotion, and love to each and every one in order to identify exceptional strengths in the craft as well as clear threads of aboutness and, finally, opportunities to help each writer bring her manuscript closer to its fullest manifestation of itself.
This was thrilling and exhausting work through which we not only began to revise the writing, but also began to revise ourselves, as well. This, it turns out, is the most profound truth of artistic practice: it will inevitably transform you, if you face it directly and do not shy away.
I have much more to say about radical revision, but for now wanted to simply to share some photos from the beach while letting you know I will be sending out 2023 workshop announcements later this week, along with a new writing prompt on Wednesday!
Until then, I hope these photos lift your spirits. Over seven days, we started at six in the morning with yoga and meditation, ended at ten at night with yoga nidra, and in between wrote and revised our hearts outs. Luckily we also saw dolphins, baby sea turtles, and the full moon rising as the sun set over the ocean, among many other wondrous sights, and I wanted to share just a few of them with all of you.
With love,
Jeannine
In deep gratitude, and a bit of exhausted body release after Radical Revisions! What a gift.