Audrey Hughey designs planners, writes fiction, and works diligently to help her fellow authors. Although she currently writes horror and thrillers, sheโs as eclectic in her writing as in her reading. When sheโs not submerged in the worlds of fiction and planning, sheโs caring for her family, enjoying nature, or finding more ways to bring a little more light into the world.
Share
๐ง๏ธ What if this writing year is the same as last year? What if nothing changes?
Published 5 months agoย โขย 4 min read
โ
Hi Reader,
Today is the final day for the Early Bird Discount on tickets to our 2026 Virtual Spring Writing Retreat. This isn't the last day you can buy tickets, but it is the last day you can get the biggest discounts.
Have you considered the old adage about insanity recently? It goes something like, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results."
I like to contemplate this saying at the beginning of each new year, and more so as I emerge from winter (and my energy returns with spring). Because if I'm not changing the way I play this game of life and writing, then how will my life and writing ever change?
So I'm asking you, today, what are you doing differently this year? What actions are you taking to make sure that this year is different and better than the last when it comes to both your writing and your whole life?
Consider variables that can give you more energy, or an edge through education in the craft of writing, or creating a book "package" that attracts readers and makes marketing and sales easier.
Do somethingโanything!โto level up this year, dear writer.
You could even join us at our 2026 Virtual Spring Writing Retreat to have three mornings dedicated solely to building your word count on your current draft, or bolster your education in writing and publishing.
So what makes our retreat different?
It's online. No flights, rental cars, driving, hotels, meals, or other expenses. It's ideal for those who want to save money (for things like editing, covers, or advertising) or who wish to have the writing retreat experience without the hassle and time investment required for travel. โ
Warm and welcoming. We have an excellent reputation for being a close-knit group that is always warm and welcoming to all who join us. We pride ourselves on being inclusive, considerate, and ensuring a safe, kind, and encouraging environment through all of our classes. We have a severely low tolerance for rude, impolite, or hateful behavior. โ
Price. Our ticket price is significantly lower than most online summits and retreat tickets anywhere that I've seen. At $75 (before discounts) for 3 days, you'd be hard-pressed to find a writing retreat-conference mashup like ours with a ticket price so low. While I (Audrey) take on the bulk of the work, spending hundreds of hours preparing, promoting, building sprint sessions and classes (plus slides and workbooks), most of our instructors have also been dedicated to contributing to this for years. โ The collected ticket fees are primarily allocated to website upkeep and maintenance (so you can have lifetime access to the retreat replays and materials), scholarships for writers with financial need, and, if we sell enough tickets, "coffee funds" for our vast array of instructors who have dedicated their time to sharing their knowledge and uplifting our writing community. โ
Design. Yes, this writing retreat is a touch different. We include classes in an almost conference-like manner. Here's how it works: mornings are spent writing together. We'll use prompts (visual, auditory, written/spoken) to write, getting new words in our current WIPs (works in progress) or on new stories. After lunch, we'll come back and start the sessions. A session can be a class, workshop, walkthrough, or panel. All sessions are recorded and uploaded for unlimited replay, included with your ticket. โ
Theme Days. While the daily structure (writing in the mornings, sessions in the afternoons) remains the same throughout the retreat, the daily theme varies. โ - On Friday, sessions will be focused on writing and pre-writing topics: brainstorming, outlining, plotting, sprinting techniques, drafting, writing, mindset around completing the first draft, etc. โ โ- On Saturday, we'll be focused on pre-publishing and publishing-related tasks such as: editing, formatting, working with or finding a cover designer, launch planning, etc. โ โ- On Sunday, the focus will be on post-publishing: post-release marketing, in-person events and sales, digital marketing, websites, sales ecosystems, beyond the book IP expansion, mindset, and cultivating grit for the long haul.
Graphic: 2026 Virtual Spring Writing Retreat - March 27-29, 2026 3 Days of Creativity, Learning, and Friendship audreyhughey.com/2026vswr
Last Day to Claim Your Early Bird Discount on Retreat Tickets!
As a little celebration of my birthday, I've got a bonus with options:
If you order your retreat ticket during the Early Bird period, you'll get my new class "Reset Your Writing Rhythm for Spring" for FREE!
The standard price for this one-time workshop is $37 if you want to buy it separately. That said, if you don't want to join the virtual retreat but you do want the class, you can purchase it separately this week for $19 (because my birthday is the 19th). The discount is automatically applied, no code needed. ๐
Graphic: Reset Your Writing Rhythm for Spring
The class will take place live on Wednesday, March 4th at 2pm EST, and the replay will be available the same day, along with a printable workbook and the class slides.
GotPrint.com currently has a 15% discount on branded envelopes, so this is a great time to get envelopes if you send out any book mail, stories by letter, or anything else. They also have many other excellent products that are priced well.
I've ordered art postcards from them in the past and I was very pleased with the quality!
The code is: ENV26
I couldn't easily find an end date for this promotion, but as of today, it's still live.
Picture: Love, Hope, & Second Chances: A Valentine's Day Romance Anthology
Our latest ATA anthology is live and out in the world! We've been working on a romance anthology for a while, but we finally overcame the obstacles and got it published.
There are four stories this time, but the total comes in at just under 80k words! (79,846 words!)
This anthology is:
โ Romance โ Sweet, heartwarming, feel-good โ Contemporary โ Closed door โ Includes mature love, second chances, and cynics giving love a chance again.
Audrey Hughey designs planners, writes fiction, and works diligently to help her fellow authors. Although she currently writes horror and thrillers, sheโs as eclectic in her writing as in her reading. When sheโs not submerged in the worlds of fiction and planning, sheโs caring for her family, enjoying nature, or finding more ways to bring a little more light into the world.
Read more from Audrey Hughey, Author and Planner Creator
Hey Reader, Have you felt tired lately? I don't mean just a little tired. I mean, like, weary tired. The kind you feel in your bones. The kind that saps away your mental energy too. It can come from being overworked, overstimulated, and overburdened. Add it to sleep debt and a lack of (real) breaks, and life can feel more difficult than it needs to. And all of these factors piled on your back can drag down your motivation and sense of progress. One missed day of writing can easily become two,...
Hey, writing friend! ๐ Today, I wanted to share a little more about (and a few excerpts directly from) my Summer Break Writing Survival Kit. And I want you to know that this is helpful for parents, grandparents, and even for writers who aren't taking care of kids all summer. There are tools for everyone, and I spent many, many weeks pouring myself into every piece. I wrote these workbooks directly in my documents--and in scraps of notebooks to be transcribed once I got back to my computer....
How do parents keep writing during summer break? If you're a parent, you know that this can be a struggle. According to my experiences and those of many of my friends, it's a bit different when you're working outside the home all summer. Without a vacation, it can feel like nothing changes. For those who stay home or work from home, it can feel like a huge struggle, a battle even, to figure out how to balance all the things. So I've spent the last four weeks creating my brand new Summer Break...