“Loneliness, I’ve read, is like being in a long line, waiting to reach the front where it’s promised something good will happen. Only the line never moves, and the other people are always coming in ahead of you, and the front, the place where you want to be, is always farther and farther away until you no longer believe it has anything to do with you.”

–Richard Ford, Canada

 Tell me about your loneliness.

Last year when I led the Write, Travel, Transform Trip to Bali, I started a blog called “The Virtual Vacation.” I’m planning to document the trip again this year.

I am departing on June 6th–and the blog will start when I arrive in Australia–my first stop on my travels.

If you’d like to receive these lush reports from the magic isle via email, go up to the top corner of this webpage and enter your email address. If you are already subscribing to the Roadmap posts on Tuesday, here’s what you need to do to subscribe to the email updates from Bali.

If you don’t go through these steps, you won’t get the email updates. If you do, you will. I apologize that this takes more than one click, but I just did it and it took just over a minute.

 IF YOU WANT TO GET THE VIRTUAL VACATION BLOG, HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

P.S. If you received last year’s Bali updates and you haven’t unsubscribed from my list or changed your email address since then, you should receive The Virtual Vacation blog automatically. But I suggest you go through this process anyway, just to be sure. Don’t worry–if you sign up twice with the same email address–you’ll only get one copy.

Anyone can sign up to follow Laura’s journey.  If you know someone who would enjoy these updates, please feel free to forward this message to them or invite them to join the mailing list.

Consider joining me (virtually) for the adventure of a lifetime.

In the spirit of adventure,

Laura

“I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, so I chose to tell myself a different story.”

–Cheryl Strayed, Wild

Tell me specifically how you overcame one of your fears.

“When we honestly ask ourselves which people in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.”

–Henri Nouwen

Tell me about a time this was true in your life.

“A strong woman knows she has strength enough for the journey, but a woman of strength knows it is in the journey where she will become strong.”

–Unknown

Tell me about a time this was true in your life or in the life of someone close to you.

“Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

 Tell me about a time you permitted something harmful into your mind—and a time that you didn’t.

Those of us who had a perfectly healthy childhood should be able to sue for deprivation of literary royalties.”

–Chris Patten

Do you believe, as Chris Patten states above, that suffering is a prerequisite to  good writing? Why or why not? If not, what do you feel is essential to good writing?

Dear Roadmap Community Members,

I’m sure you’re as thrilled as I am at the way the Writer’s Journey Roadmap Community has been growing in recent weeks. Like me, you’re probably experiencing the power of finding your voice, sharing your stories, and getting steady, positive affirmation for your work.

Now imagine what that community would be like in person–how transformative it would be to immerse yourself in that kind of support, in an environment designed specifically to help you go deeper into your writing.

What would it be like to dive into your creativity without all the routines, stress, and obligations that keep us distracted from our dream of becoming the writer–and the person–we want to be?

Now you have the chance to find out.

As you may already know, I not only lead this online Roadmap community. I also lead writing retreats in California and internationally.

And my favorite of these retreats–15 days in Bali with writing, yoga and adventure–is coming up at the end of June.

This retreat has been booked solidly since last August when I first offered it, but two of the writers have had to drop out–so now there is the wonderful opportunity for two new people to join me on this incredible, life-changing journey.

Does one of those spaces have your name on it?

Three Fantastic Locations in Bali

June 21-July 5  

The trip will be a wonderful mix of writing, yoga, adventure, and relaxation. This second year, the retreat will include all the best elements of the first trip with some wonderful additions.

Spouses and friends who don’t write are welcome to attend. There will be a wonderful mix of activities available for everyone.

 

Consider joining me for the adventure of a lifetime.

In the spirit of adventure,

Laura

Here’s just some of what prior participants have said:

“I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. You created an experience that touched my soul and opened deep levels of creativity and inspiration. Your trip to Bali is a gift that will keep on giving for my entire life.”

 -Elya Braden, Santa Monica

“This transformative trip had the perfect balance of activities for me. The tour guides and the instructors were very knowledgeable, courteous, genuine and authentic. There was just the right amount of adventure, relaxation, activity and rest.”

-Kathy Walters, Gardnerville, Nevada

“The opportunity to be surrounded by a community of soulful people is what makes transformation possible. This trip gave me renewal of my body, mind and spirit. Thank you for giving me such a gift of healing and transformation.”

-Marci Drimer, Baltimore

“We are each of us angels with only one wing and we can only fly by embracing each other.”

–Luciano De Crexcenzo

Tell me about a time this was true in your life.

“A name is the first story that attaches itself to a life.”

–Michelle de Krelser, The Hamilton Case

Tell me the story of your name.