From Rose-Lynn Fishers
Topography
of Tears StudyI had a semi-breakdown last year. There were many reasons. My financial life wasn’t awesome. My relational life really wasn’t awesome. My creative world crumbled.
And I was on deadline. Of course. For two months (maybe more), I cried every day. Nearly every tear was amassed in front of my computer.

I had failed and every time I looked at the computer screen, failure winked at me like we’d made a blood pact—you and me kid, we’re evergreen, it mocked. The failure used a particular whip of words to strike me. Here is what I heard: You aren’t smart enough to fix this. Not your life. And certainly not your manuscript. You’ll have to move home and live with your parents. Faking Normal was a fluke.
Have you ever stared down your computer and wondered? Am I smart enough to do this?Can I write this book?
Am I good enough?
Am I worth of being an author?
I have.That’s why I am writing this post. Also, because I found a stopgap for that downward spiral—a simple solution.
The stopgap to that terrible taunting voice is more education. You see, I’d heard that voice before. Growing up, I wasn’t ever the smartest in the class, but I was a great student. I hung my hat on studying—on my ability to learn, rather than my ability to know. And when I hit this breakdown, I went back to that truth.
I wasn’t failing because I wasn’t smart enough, I was failing because I didn’t know enough.
 Huge difference. I set out from that realization to study and grow as a writer. I sought the advice and wisdom of other authors. They all pointed me in the direction of John Truby. This book was like finding a handful of keys to the locked doors of my manuscript.  John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story helped me.And I’d like to offer that same help to others.

I spent 200+ hours studying and translating his work for young adult culture. I built a personal workbook for individual manuscripts. I built stopgaps for others, and then I led a retreat. It helped other writers. Now, I want to do that again in August.
So, this incredible long post is an invitation to join me for a weekend retreat. Please click this link and check it out: 
http://madcapretreats.com/anatomyofstory.html
I won’t promise you the earth will tilt on its axis if you attend, but I can promise you’ll leave more confident in your own abilities as an artist. (Not to mention, you’ll leave with a personal marketing plan. See the retreat description for more information.) If you need a pick-me-up, this might be it for you. Take a risk with me. Find your stopgap.
Because I believe in this retreat (in all the Madcap Retreats), I’m trying to spread the word. I have an amazing team of bloggers who volunteered to generate traffic, but I’m also asking you for help. Please spread the word.
In return for sharing your platforms, I’m offering a contest to treat you to these prizes:
3- $300 coupons to this Madcap Retreat: 1- 50 page manuscript critique by me (Courtney C. Stevens)3- signed copies of Faking Normal1- ARC of The Lies About Truth5 - electronic copies of The Blue Haired Boy
The contest runs from June 15th-June 20th. U.S./Canada only for mailable prizes.
Click here to enter: 

Praise for this workshop:

This series of workshops would benefit both the beginning writer and the novelist with several books on the shelf. Courtney Stevens’s teaching style combined with the accessible material make this a learning experience that could level up any writer on the publishing journey.--Rae Ann Parker

The wisdom in that room was tangible and contagious, and I hope I caught enough of it to be able to apply John Truby's ANATOMY OF STORY to all of my future manuscripts.
-- Genetta Adair