Work with Deb

Your voice, your wildness, your creative expression, is literally one in 7 billion. There can be no other like it in the world. Usually, when something is this rare, great value is placed on it. But, creativity is often trivialized, misused or monetized in a way that discourages the spirit.

My mission is to put you back in good relationship with the wild part of you, the part that tears down stifling walls of fear and resistance freeing your voice and restoring you to your essence, your playfulness, to feeling, sensing and creating.

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A fierce, muscle-building writing workout. Creative community. No inner critics left standing. Whether you’re a poet or a painter, at the height of your career or just putting a toe in the water, you’re welcome at Write Club. Through timed writing exercises, lively discussion and other secret stuff, you’ll learn some new moves and build creative muscle. We’ll take it all on. Dialogue, character development, process issues, descriptive voice, idea generation… Each month you’ll come away energized and equipped with some new ways to wake up your work and take your inner critic to the mat. First rule of Write Club – You do not talk about writing. You write. Second rule of Write Club – You do not talk about NOT writing. You write. Third rule of Write Club – When Deb says “Go!” the writing begins. Fourth rule of Write Club – One word at a time. Fifth rule of Write Club - No deleting, erasing or crossing out.  Sixth rule of Write Club – The writing will go on until the bell rings. Seventh rule of Write Club – If this is your first night at Write Club (or your tenth) you HAVE to write. First Monday of every month. 7pm – 9:45pm at Bohemia Coffee House (214 W. Ojai Ave, Ojai) $10 at the door – No advanced reservations 805.794.0101

SESSION I: Working through Resistance and Silencing the Inner Critic September, Friday 6th @ 6pm thru Sunday 8th @ 6pm Challenge the whole notion of writer’s block. Gain practical, user-friendly methods for de-fanging resistance. Learn to trust your intuition, quiet your internal critic and write from your deeper voice Establish a regular practice. Get the anxiety out and invite experimentation and play back into your creative process. $250 SESSION II: New Tools to Unlock Character and Story September, Friday 13th @ 6pm thru Sunday 15th @ 6pm Much of the available instruction on story-building is either overly simplified, highly commercial or cripplingly complicated. Here, finally, is an approach that will drop you into a clear and resonant understanding of the elements of story. Create 3-dimensional characters that crackle with life. Identify and master the elements of story. Develop an incorruptible understanding of story structure. Discover how to identify and work with theme. $250 Sign up for BOTH sessions and SAVE! $499

10 private sessions for only $675! When you: spend more time arguing with your inner critic than writing. can’t get you butt in the chair. aren’t sure how to start. aren’t sure what you’ve got. don’t know what’s missing. can’t diagnose the problem. can’t turn your ideas into a story. have lost track of the story. have lost perspective, traction or hope. need to find or develop your voice. Resistance, procrastination, fear and self-doubt are naturally occurring parts of the creative process for writers – even terribly successful writers. Few are immune, but none need be discouraged. Let me shepherd you up, over and beyond the obstacles – whatever they may be – with my time-tested, user-friendly, fool-proof methods. Hit the contact button (above) to get your 10-session deal! Commit to TEN one-hour sessions of coaching and get your story on firm footing, while getting an hour for free! *The 10-session deal rate applies to in-session work only. Extra-session reading and analysis subject to regular hourly rate.

MENU OF WORKSHOPS

Unleash your Genius The world needs your writing! So let’s clear out those psychic cobwebs that keep tangling you up. In this class, we’ll challenge the whole notion of writer’s block and make sure you never have a reason not to sit down and write. You’ll learn how to trust your intuition, quiet your internal critic, write from your deeper voice and establish a regular practice. We’ll also look at new ways to crack the essence of character and story. This is a generative-based class, which means you’ll be leaving with new material and an arsenal of practical tools to keep you living your life as a writer long after the class is over. Get the anxiety out and invite experimentation and play back into your creative process. Note: This very popular class works best as a 10-week course, but can also be taught as a weekend workshop or retreat. A minimum of 8 participants is required. Unleash your Genius works especially well over SKYPE, making it possible to unleash from anywhere in the world.

Engaging the Feminine Heroic This workshop is designed to help women writers and artists gain greater access to their own internal creative vision in order to write stronger and more compelling stories. The feminine heroic may be difficult to recognize (even for women) because most of the popular stories in our culture are grounded in the masculine heroic journey. Whereas the essential goal of the hero’s journey is to discover, defend, declare and establish our Self in the world, the great achievement of the feminine quest is to transform life’s suffering and difficulties into meaning. The story of our humanity is encoded in all epic mythologies. They reveal how we grow and evolve, how we face life’s conflicts and obstacles, and how we must endure death experiences in order to create new life. In this course we decode myth as a means of gaining valuable insight and perspective on the archetypal human dramas that we all inescapably reenact. Archetypes are universal patterns of human behavior that we all consciously or unconsciously recognize. There is enormous power when a story taps into archetypal characters or situations because they enable the audience to identify with the story on the deepest possible level.Gaining access to the feminine heroic is a heroic journey in itself. This course takes writers on a guided initiation into the feminine realm where you will: Transform life’s pain and hardships into creative expression. Re-context your experiences, giving them archetypal relevance. Discover an incorruptible connection to the essence of the human story. This course is team-taught with Dara Marks, PhD, author of  “Inside Story: The Power of the Transformational Arc.” It works best as a week-long retreat for women, but versions can be taught in sessions of any length. A Co-ed version is available as a 1-3 hour seminar.

10-Minute Play Workshop At the beginning of this 12 week adventure, writers are given a prompt around which to build their play. Character and relationship development, active exposition, dialogue, and all the basic elements of a play are thoroughly explored in a rigorous, yet supportive working environment. Writers will learn how to give and receive feedback productively, what is involved in rewriting and how to fine-tune their play in collaboration with actors and other theater professionals. This workshop ends in an exciting three-night showcase in which plays are read by professional actors in front of a live audience.

ONGOING GROUPS

Tuesday Writing Group

Status: Full
Tuesdays 7-10pm
Showcases: Quarterly
Membership: $300 every 12 weeks

Wednesday Morning Writing Group

Status: Full
Wednesdays 9:30am-12:30pm
Membership: $300 every 12 weeks

Wednesday Night Writing Group

Status: full
Thursdays 6:30-9:30pm
Membership: $300 every 12 weeksWith a maximum of 10 members, the ongoing groups afford writers an opportunity to receive personal feedback and guidance at every meeting. You will find a safe, yet rigorous environment in which to develop and deepen writing. All genres of writing and all levels of skill are welcome.

Private Coaching Services

Resistance, procrastination, fear and self-doubt are naturally occurring parts of the creative process for writers – even terribly successful writers. Few are immune, but none need be discouraged. Deb has time-tested, user-friendly, fool-proof methods for overcoming these age-old obstacles. If you have been waiting for the courage, strength, focus or time to unleash your voice onto the page, the wait is over. Call Deb and let her shepherd you up, over and beyond anything that limits your writing.
$75/hrWhen you:

• are spending more time arguing with the voices in your head than writing.
• can’t get your butt in the chair.
• can get your butt in the chair, but can’t make your pen move.
• aren’t sure how to start a project.
• aren’t sure how to finish a project.
• aren’t sure what you’ve got.
• are too close to the subject matter and need perspective.
• need to define your goals.
• need to be held accountable.
• want to revive your process or regain a sense of play.
• need to find or develop your voice.
• want a clearer understanding of basic story elements.

Story consultation

Contrary to popular belief, writing is not a solitary undertaking. A writer needs the perspective of an outside, impartial eye, the feedback of trusted readers, the expertise of editors and proofreaders. By the time a work goes to print, hits the stage or starts filming, it has been guided by many hands. The trick is finding the right kind of support – Deb’s understanding of writers and the writing process, combined with her understanding of story structure, enables her to provide you with what you need to get your story to final draft.
$75/hr

Call Deb when:

• you want to move into the rewrite process with a solid plan.
• you’re ready to submit your draft and need a keen eye for one last look.
• your story won’t come alive.
• your characters feel underdeveloped or inactive.
• your story isn’t moving forward.
• you’re having trouble developing or identifying theme.