SEDONA, AZ - Nov 4, 2008 - With its stunning natural beauty and inspiring ambience, Sedona has always been a haven for creative people.

It has been an artists’ colony for decades, since famed German artist Max Ernest settled in red rock country in 1946. Now Sedona has morphed into a writers’ colony as well.

Over the past few years, Sedona has become an established venue for writers who are on book tours or looking to promote their works. Our Library is now hosting weekly book signings as part of its 50th anniversary celebration, while bookstores around town continue to present various authors.

Lately the lure of the red rocks has attracted writers of all kinds who have chosen to make Sedona their home -- including famous novelists, self-published authors and aspiring writers with potential books and screenplays on their computer hard drives. Small, private writing groups have proliferated in the Greater Sedona area.

To further stoke local interest in writing and publishing, famous writer-instructors such as Sedona’s own Tom Bird and Zen adherent Natalie Goldberg have recently presented well-attended seminars in Sedona.

After attending Ms. Goldberg’s “Writing Down the Bones” workshop in September, Sedona novelist Marv Lincoln was inspired to create his own process and offer it to the public.

His inaugural event, the “EasyWriter Experience,” is a free mini-workshop to be held on Friday, November 7, from 5:30 to 7 pm at the Golden Word Book Centre. It is open to everyone, from established writers to would-be wordsmiths. Golden Word is located in the Dry Creek Plaza, 3150 W. Hwy 89A at the intersection of Dry Creek Road in West Sedona.

The Experience is based on the teachings of Ms. Goldberg, says Lincoln, and “blasts through writer’s block and other hang-ups around writing by tapping the spontaneous, creative part of the mind. This bypasses the critical, judgmental part of the mind that holds people back from realizing their creative potential.”

Lincoln says he knows from personal experience about the crippling effects of writer’s block. “Natalie’s revolutionary techniques helped me break free and write a complete novel in less than a month, he says.” That novel, released late last year, is titled “I Married a Psychic” and is available in Sedona area bookstores and boutiques.

Participants in the Nov. 7 event are asked to bring a writing tablet and one or two ballpoint pens. Short, timed writings will be followed by sharing of one’s work with the group, with a partner or not at all. Critiquing others’ writings is not part of the EasyWriter Experience, Lincoln emphasizes.

Following the writing exercises, Lincoln will talk briefly about self-publishing and other options open to the aspiring writer. Copies of his novel will be available for sale and for signing during the event. Natalie Goldberg’s books on writing will also be available. For more information, call (928) 204-2198.

To learn more about Ms. Goldberg, visit her website at www.nataliegoldberg.com. To learn more about Lincoln’s novel, visit www.vortex23.com.
 

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