Yoga As Muse

Today my guest is Amber Polo, romance author who loves travel and uses location to spark her novels, shares the magic of her recent trip to Taos, New Mexico. I'm pleased to turn over the reins to Amber while I'm off dealing with the inspection of our (potential) new home.

I’d like to thank my hostess, Terry, for graciously allowing me to share a place close to my heart on her blog. Thanks, Terry.

I just returned from my 5th Yoga as Muse Writing/Yoga Retreat workshop in Taos, New Mexico. Five days of yoga, writing, and magical Taos spirit. Plus glorious food at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, inspiration to spark creativity, the company of fifteen stimulating writers, and hope for a chance meeting with Georgia O'Keefe's ghost.

The mid-March weather in the high desert is always unpredictable – from warm and sunny to snow - but the fires burn hot with authentic words.

Jeff Davis, writing instructor, coach, and yogi from Accord, NY, has created a gentle energy in New Mexico to recharge the imagination, reconnect to heart, and move writers from their “center to the page.” In groups, we learn how to integrate breath work, mediation, and yoga into a daily practice. In the Taos air, there is time to reflect, walk in nature, stare at mountains, shop, and be struck to write something new or work on an existing piece. Did I mention the wonderful food?

In Awe? No Worries.

Today my guest is romance author Kimber Chin. She, like so many other writers have discovered, knows there is only one rule for writing, and that's "There are no rules." Welcome, Kimber.

When Terry mentioned guest blogging here, I was terrified. I mean, have you SEEN her storyboards?



The woman has her act together.

I'm, on the other hand, a disorganized mess. Before I start writing, I have a one sentence idea of what each chapter is like. For Invisible, chapter one's sentence was 'Loved one dies, hero and heroine meet.' That was it.

These are the notes I had for a recent short. I didn't even follow these 'guidelines.' I started writing and the characters took over.



(However, I do usually know my main characters as well as I know my best buddies. I know their greatest fears. I know they'll have to face them. I know what loved ones will conflict with yet 'fit' them. I know how they'll respond when faced with decisions.)

I recently attended a writer's retreat (my first ever). Other writers shared their plots, gathering input from everyone else. I didn't. Why? Because I can't write a story for someone else. I write for myself. If I think of readers when I write, I chicken out with the emotion. To get truly gritty and raw, I have to fool myself into thinking it will NEVER get published.