I'm creating a community where writers can realize their lifelong dreams

In Creative Community, I bring together aspiring writers to develop the time, space, humor and confidence they need to build a writing life—so that together we can create an inspiring and productive writing practice, have the courage to complete and share our work, and start realizing our lifelong writing dreams.

What does our Creative Community look like? Each month, you'll:

• explore a common creative block that writers experience and learn how to work through it

• get access to two guided writing sessions (on the first and third Sunday of each month, from 2–3:15 p.m. CST) where you can connect with other writers, share your writing experiences, and settle in for 50 minutes of uninterrupted writing time

• join our monthly “Ask a Writing Coach” session, where you can ask me your most pressing writing questions

• connect with our rich online community, where we share resources, talk about  writing experiences, and connect with other like-minded writers

One year from now, Creative Community members will have: 

• explored 12 common creative blocks and learned how to work through them as they pursue their big writing dreams

• created strong connections with other writers in the community

• learned to write with more confidence, consistency, and joy

• started actively pursuing their big writing goals

• begun to see tangible results emerge from their sustained writing efforts

Creative Community is for you if you: 

• sometimes struggle to identify yourself as a writer
• could use support in writing more regularly
• are looking for insight on how to improve your craft
• want to commit more fully to your big writing dreams
• would benefit from connecting with other writers and learning about their experiences, challenges, and paths to success

Want to join us as we work together toward realizing our writing dreams? 

Sign up for Creative Community and connect with a community of inspired writers who support and motivate you as you work toward your biggest writing goals.

Ten years ago, I had a secret writing dream: to become a novelist. At the time, I was working as a middle school teacher, and I barely had time to sleep, let alone write a full-length book. Plus, I had never written anything longer than a short story before—finishing a book seemed like a faraway dream. 

Despite my uncertainties, I finally got up the courage to quit my job in 2012 and began pursuing my writing dream in earnest. It was an exciting time … at first. But soon I found myself floundering. Without an MFA program to support my development or writing peers to work alongside, I felt scared and unequipped.

I remember spending full mornings—mornings I had set aside to work on my novel—Googling “writer’s block” and trying to figure out ways to overcome  creative anxiety. At first, this seemed like a futile and embarrassing effort, and yet, surprisingly, I discovered wonderful advice and resources online, and with their help I eventually pulled myself out of my writing funk. 

That year, I started to write and submit in earnest for the very first time. And before long I experienced my first taste of writing success. I got two short stories published, attended two amazing writing residencies, and finished two drafts of my book. 

There have been plenty of ups and downs in my writing journey since then, but—ten years and two novels later—I’ve now gotten a pretty good handle on what it takes to carve out a writing life. That’s not to say that I don’t still experiences low points and moments of self-doubt, but I no longer feel like I’m on a terrifying emotional roller-coaster when it comes to writing. 

One of my favorite parts of my life now is sharing what I’ve learned with other  writers to help them reach their writing goals much more quickly than I did. After five years of teaching and coaching at Fresh Ink, I’ve built up an extensive toolbox of writing tips for overcoming writing anxiety, and I know how to set up an inspiring and supportive writing routine that keeps writers moving along the path to their writing dreams. 

As I approach the 10-year anniversary of quitting my job and following my writing dreams, I’m thrilled to find myself in a place where writing is a core part of my life. I’m pretty dang excited about my writing business, my writing community, and my discovery that building a writing life is, in fact, possible.

I designed Creative Community to provide writers with the kind of practical and emotional support that was unavailable to me when I first started pursuing my writing dreams. 

It's been a real privilege to work with writers at this stage of their careers and to see them begin to launch their writing lives in the way they've always dreamed. And I can't wait to meet you and help you do the same!

I've designed Creative Community with the help of Fresh Ink writers – so a big thank you to everyone who has contributed ideas and energy to help make this community as rich as it is!

With your input, I'm excited to continue developing this community as an inspiring and supportive space that allows you to seriously pursue your writing dreams.