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Fear of Writing:
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Writing Workshops
In Milli Thornton's writing workshops, the accent is on fun. The other guiding principle is safe place.
“I don't allow critiques,” Milli said, “so writers—and especially emerging closet writers—who are not ready for critiquing won't have to dread that kind of feedback.”
The Fear of Writing Clinic is a one-day event and the Tantrick Writing Clinic (group bookings only) is a full weekend workshop.
“One thing I strive to do,” Milli said, “is to avoid making my workshops self-contained. There's nothing more frustrating than attending a workshop, leaving 1,000% inspired—but then crashing down again a few days later, unable to sustain your motivation at home. So I offer ways and means for writers to continue the momentum after the workshop.”
Quite a few of Milli's students stay with her for regular Fear of Writing events or publications after they've attended the workshop(s).
“We have groups that are like family now,” Milli said. “Also, students who've followed my specific workshop suggestions for 'baby steps' had articles or stories published within a few months of the workshop.”
The exercises were fun! I had a GREAT time.
—Donna Brown, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Page Contents
Fear of Writing Clinic
Student Workbook
Workshop Testimonials
Meet Some of the Workshop Participants
Fear of Writing Clinic—Coming Soon to a Computer Near You!
Tantrick Writing Clinic
Tantrick Photo Gallery
Workshop Schedule and Registration
----->>> HOW TO BE NOTIFIED OF FUTURE WRITING WORKSHOPS
Certified Fear of Writing Clinic Workshop Presenters
Listings (with photos) of Certified Presenters
How to Get Qualified to Present the Fear of Writing Clinic in Your Local Area
Fear of Writing Clinic
A fun writing workshop!
“writers & closet writers welcome”
SHARPEN YOUR PENCIL and get ready to write! No matter what your level of writer’s block, lack of inspiration, or sheer terror of failure, you’ll find yourself hitting the page with irresistible stories and characters-spouting-dialogue almost from the moment you sit down.
The old pressure to dredge up “something worth writing” is lifted away and you can simply let the magic happen.
Meanwhile, you’ll discover that your imagination is far richer than you’ve ever suspected. This is all accomplished in an atmosphere of fun and camaraderie, where you will actually be rewarded for your fear of writing.
If you’re shy, you can sit quietly until it feels comfortable to offer your insights. But everyone—even the grimmest who believe they have NO talent—must come prepared to write. You’ll be glad you did. The Fertile Material has been known to unblock the most secretive of closet writers . . . and even the biggest scaredy cats!
Workshop Presenter & What to Bring
My name is Milli Thornton. I'm the author fo the book (Fear of Writing: for writers & closet writers) and lead presenter for the FoW Clinic. I'm also starting to train others to present the clinic. See the certification page for a list of presenters.
Coffee houses and the homes of friends fit the criteria for my ideal writing workshop environment. I prefer smaller, more intimate settings, as well as small groups of people, so participants will feel safe—and free to relax and have fun.
Fear of Writing is available at Books & Java or on Amazon.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need previous experience as a writer? No. This workshop is suitable for every level—even people who have never written before. A closet writer is someone who has dreamed of “someday” being a writer but has either been too busy or too scared to try. Now you can come out of the closet the easy way. This workshop has also helped more seasoned writers break away from their usual projects and have some fun. The exercises are designed for everybody.
Will this workshop show me how to get published? Nope. This workshop is for the fun of creativity—and to become acquainted with my writing prompts (the Fertile Material), which will give you food for many, many stories even long after the workshop is over. It also gently helps with any writing fears you may have.
Will anyone critique my writing? No. Everyone is encouraged to read to the group what they have written, but no one is pressured to read. And critiques are not allowed. The philosophy of Fear of Writing is to provide a safe place where no one has to dread an unkind critique.
About the Online Version of the FoW Clinic
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Student Workbook
Fear of Writing Clinic
Milli has replaced the old photocopied hand-outs with a 33-page spiral bound student workbook. Here's the table of contents:
1. INTRODUCING. . . .
Milli’s Support Team
How to Get the Most From This Workbook
Gallery of Past Clinic Participants
2. FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE
Suffering Comes With the Turf
Fear of Writing: Is It a Gene?
Coming Out of the Writer’s Closet for Good
Water: Do Writers Need It?
3. EXERCISES TO HELP WITH FEAR
Fear & Fantasy Profile/Define Fun
The Seven Eternal Laws of Writing
Subliminal Identification
Subliminal Realignment
Fear of Criticism
4. EXERCISES FOR FUN & CREATIVITY
10 Hints for using the Fertile Material
Example: Use Suggestion and Be Specific
How to Invent Name Soup
Fertile Material Skeletons
Fertile Material
5. RESOURCES FOR AFTER THE CLINIC
Baby Steps: The Hill Country EDGE
Baby Steps: ByLine Magazine
Suggested Reading/Suggested Workbooks List
6. HOW TO STAY INVOLVED IN FEAR
OF WRITING AFTER THE CLINIC
Local Fertile Material Writing Circles
Closet Writers’ Liberation Camp
The Online Course at fearofwriting.com
Subscribe to Fear of Writing Gazette
Books & Java Mail Order Form
Copyright © 2005 Milli Thornton
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Testimonials—Fear of Writing Clinic
It screams “safe”!
—Sallye Beranak, Ft. Collins, Colorado
I’m not a poet, but after your Fear of Writing Clinic I felt so inspired I entered a poetry contest and won a Sony Vaio.
—Robert Beale, Taos, New Mexico
The exercises were fun! I had a GREAT time.
—Donna Brown, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Milli, I had a wonderful time on Saturday. I came home tired but really enthused. I am amazed at how talented you are. How organized and in awe of your workshop abilities. You have been sent here as the Writer's Angel, I truly believe it. You have an amazing way of hearing what is not said and an empathetic way of listening. The way you have of encouraging and uplifting when one is in that place of fear and uncertainty is astounding.
—Deirdre Nielsen, Canyon Lake, Texas
I really enjoyed your workshop. It was fun. I look forward to seeing a “Son of Fear of Writing” workshop someday.
—Raven Puente, Spring Branch, Texas
Once again, thank you so much. At the beginning of the day I felt like “Ohmygoodness, ohmygoodness, I can't write anything around these people—they're all so good and I'm just going to sound dumb!” But we both had a really, really good time. Thanks, thanks, thanks!!
— Susan Smith, San Antonio, Texas, attending with her 16-year-old daughter, Caitlin Smith
Milli, I love your feedback. You are so encouraging, so uplifting, and your words exude a strength that goes right to my soul. Thank you.
—Claudia Errington, Woodland, CA
Thanks for a great writing workshop. I realized several things—one of which is that other people’s fears are no greater or lesser than mine. That was very helpful.
—Terry Fisher, at a Fear of Writing Clinic sponsored by SouthWest Writers, 3/16/02
Great writing exercises. “Fertile Material.” Nothing has set me free like these. Thanks! —Lyn Canham, Sandia Park, New Mexico
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Testimonials—Tantrick Writing Clinic
“It seems like I’ve been writing non-stop ever since your workshop. I had a fantastic idea for a book based on one of your workshop exercises and have been writing it ever since. It keeps me awake at night with new twists and turns. I can’t tell you the joy I’m feeling . . . it’s a feeling of coming home for me.”
—Kerrée Wheelock, Colorado Springs, Colorado
“I didn’t know what to expect at the Tantrick Writing Clinic. Milli was full of surprises!”
—Bill Peck, Cimarron, New Mexico
“Awesome! I’m a veteran of countless writing classes and workshops, but never have I been at a clinic quite like this one! On a scale of one to ten, you get a fifteen. Once people experience Tantrick writing, they will wonder how they ever did without it.” —Penelope Stowell, Santa Fe, New Mexico
“Tantrick was two whole days of writing inspiration. Thanks, Milli, for yet another wonderful, uplifting workshop full of treasured memories.”
—Robert Beale, Taos, New Mexico
“You do a great workshop and you’re an encouragement to the timid ones. I have never, ever shared my writing with anyone as much as I did this weekend and it felt great. I loved all of the other participants. We both enjoyed ourselves tremendously.”
—Rosa Phelps & Jeff Kennel, Telluride, Colorado
“I promise not every email will be an emotional outpouring from me, but I feel it is important that you know the impact you had on me. It wasn’t a small thing and I don’t think I’m alone in feeling it. Encouragement is the mother’s milk that makes us grow, I believe.”
—Kerrée Wheelock, Colorado Springs, Colorado
“How would they go on now that the workshop was over and they must return to the unadorned spaces where they worked and tried to play?”
— Michael O’Hara, Denver, Colorado
Tantrick Photo Gallery
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Meet Some of the Workshop Participants
Fear of Writing Clinic, Canyon Lake, Texas 2/26/05
Clockwise, from left to right: Tony Carroll, Carol Ann Collette, Kathy Cloud, Liz Newman, Lainie Dulaney, Milli Thornton, Michele Reinhardt, Sue Perkins
Fear of Writing Clinic, Canyon Lake, Texas 4/16/05
Left to right, from top row: Jim Satterwhite, Raven Puente, Lenell Deane, Susan Smith, Sherry Kubena, Caitlin Smith, Jane Burkett
Fear of Writing Clinic, Cappuccino Paradise, San Antonio, Texas, 5/7/05
From left to right: Jim Vermillion, Dave Lawrence, Cindy Wilson, Milli Thornton, Gwen Michal, Mary Jarvis
Fear of Writing Clinic, Chicki's Coffee Shop, Spring Branch, Texas, 4/23/05
From left to right: Milli Thornton, Ellen Miller, Jeanetta Davis, Sandy Fleming
Fear of Writng Clinic, Daisy Whisenant's house, Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, 5/21/05
From left to right: John Gaines, Bev Emmons, Richard McFarland, Holly White, Milli Thornton, Joe Worthy, Bea Moore, Sondra Locke, Daisy Whisenant
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Fear of Writing Clinic—Coming Soon
to a Computer Near You!
If you don't live in an area where Milli presents her workshops, you'll still have a chance to take the Fear of Writing Clinic.
Milli has been investigating the world of tele-seminars (conferences conducted by phone) and she plans to transform the FoW Clinic into either a tele-workshop or an online Webinar.
This is how it will work. Students can pay online and download a PDF copy of the Student Workbook for printing. You'll have the option of ordering the hard copy workbook—which has a color cover front & back and color photos inside—providing you register soon enough to receive it by mail.
This is a full 8-hour workshop, so students will need
to mark the date off on their calendars and say no to other commitments for that day. The format will alternate between conference time over the phone and writing time on your own at home.
Conference time will be used by Milli to explain each exercise, or for feedback from participants. Feedback will include sharing the results of your fear of writing survey, and reading your Fertile Material stories and workshop exercises to the group.
If you think this sounds like fun and you'd like to be notified when Milli starts the tele-workshops, join the mailing list.
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Tantrick Writing Clinic
Two-Day Intensive
WHAT'S NEW in the world of writing workshops? Hasn’t it all been said and done before?
This was the challenge facing Milli Thornton, author of Fear of Writing, when a student of hers from Denver declared that he wished to come to a summer workshop in Taos.
“Michael O’Hara was not just any writing student,” Thornton said. “He’d given up writing ten years ago because he couldn't bear the angst that went with it.”
By chance, on the shuttle on his way to work one morning, Michael picked up a copy of WestWord and leafed to a tiny notice buried in the events calendar announcing the Fear of Writing Clinic. Captivated by the name of the workshop but with no way to travel by car to the Arvada Center, Michael rode his bike from downtown Denver—an hour’s ride at least.
Thornton said, “When he arrived, Michael blurted with a huge grin, ‘This entire day is an adventure for me!’ He enjoyed the workshop, which was held in May, and later wrote me a letter saying, ‘I want to come to Taos for a summer workshop.’ Since Michael had already attended the Fear of Writing Clinic, the onus was on me to come up with something new. I also couldn’t ask someone traveling from Denver to come all that way for a one-day workshop, so I set about designing a two-dayer with all new, fresh material.”
Thornton had a vision of writers gathered in a setting replete with Taos atmosphere; experiencing sensory wonders and then writing about it from personal experience. Employing surprise visitations and writing exercises designed to release her workshop participants into realms of fun, adventure, and imagination, the Tantrick Writing Clinic was born. Writing exercises with tantalizing titles such as “Snail Mail from Africa,” “Circus Faustus,” “Swear Like an Aussie,” and “She Becomes a Goddess” are brought to life with secret sensory aids.
“Those are my surprises,” Thornton says. “I don’t give away those secrets before the workshop. If you’d like more hints, view the Tantrick photo gallery. The gallery provides glimpses without giving away my secrets.”
So why Tantrick with a k?
Thornton grins. “At first I was looking for a name that would catch people’s eye on a flyer. It’s hard work standing out on a bulletin board with hundreds of other flyers. I was gambling that people would open the cover of my tri-fold flyer out of curiosity—to find out why I spelled it with a k. But the workshop itself has grown to suit that name so much it’s uncanny. People usually associate Tantric with either yoga or sex. This workshop is neither of those, but it does embrace that energy of life and creativity suggested by the word Tantric. Add a ‘k’ and you get the element of fun and cheekiness that my workshops embrace too.”
And the verdict from Michael O’Hara? This quote comes from an emotional piece written by Michael after one of the surprise visitations:
“How would they go on now that the workshop was over and they must return to the unadorned spaces where they worked and tried to play?”
Testimonials for the Tantrick Writing Clinic
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Tantrick Photo Gallery
Who are these women and what are they doing? You could try to guess . . . but it would be more fun to come to the Tantrick Writing Clinic and experience it all for yourself.
Don't worry, you won't have to get funky or be an exhibitionist! These are two of Milli's helpers.
Left: Workshop presenter Milli in action. That's not a ghost behind her—we've blurred it on purpose to conceal one of her workshop surprises.
Below, right: Busy writing new stories
Tantrick Writing Clinic, Yaxche Learning Center, Taos, New Mexico, August 18 - 19, 2001
Clockwise, from lady in orange: Marina Medicine Wind, Theresa O'Connor, Oliver Oviedo, Rosa Phelps, Bill Peck, Fred Mitchem, Jayni Therkildsen (peeking out of dragon), Jeff Kennel, Katrina Koehler, Milli Thornton, Robert Beale
Tantrick Writing Clinic, Yaxche Learning Center, Taos, New Mexico, November 10 - 11, 2001
From left, back row: Sandra Veith, Alison Elliott, Sandy Nelson, Jayni Therkildsen (behind dragon), Gail Kent, Kathy Moray, Kerrée Wheelock, Laura Owens, Colleen Welch, Katrina Koehler, Penelope Stowell
Tantrick Writing Clinic, Yaxche Learning Center, Taos, New Mexico, August 18 - 19, 2001
Watermelon feast
Tantrick Writing Clinic, Yaxche Learning Center, Taos, New Mexico, June 22 - 23, 2002
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Fear of Writing Clinic—Workshop Schedule
Fear of Writing Clinic—2008 Dates
Due to prolonged health issues, I have not presented any in-person workshops since the Spring of 2006.
I'm still in the process of converting the Fear of Writing Clinic into an online workshop. That will happen sometime in 2008. If you'd like to get started sooner with a Fear of Writing class setting, you might want to consider the Online Creative Writing Course.
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HOW TO BE NOTIFIED OF FUTURE WRITING WORKSHOPS
Fear of Writing Clinic
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Tantrick Writing Clinic
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