Writing Retreats. A select few get the opportunity to experience them.
That’s too bad. Retreats focused on writing can be a revelation for an author. They can create an opportunity for previously unknown productivity, a creative breakthrough or be a source for new skills and new friends. An author may benefit from a retreat to write alone, also known as a residency, or sign on with an organized group in order learn from a teacher, a leader and from peers.
Success Story
Right now, I am secluded in a magnificent beach house loaned to me by generous friends. For two weeks, I am committed to upping my output, and I will have only myself to blame for failure. This is my retreat. While the beach offers inspiration, as the drive to my retreat already did (www.madisonmichael.net/inspired), the primary purpose for my escape is to increase my productivity and reduce my stress.
My goals are formidable: finish Besotted, book four of the Beguiling Bachelor Series, and write the second in the B&B Billionaire Romance series, layout my share of the promotion and launch plans for The Billionaire’s Club collection and stay on top of day to day tasks.
So far, I am more than pleased with the results. The B&B story will be finished today, and next week, Besotted will garner all my attention until completion. I am catching up on sleep, lulled by the sound of the surf and tackling my writing with reduced stress and increased excitement.
I know this is ambitious, but with little or no distraction, I am confident I can meet these goals. The break with my day to day routine provides me extra time and I am more focused with a less cluttered mind and a renewed commitment to my work.
It helps that the weather is less than stellar. Gorgeous beach days are hard to resist. Turns out there are distractions anywhere and a beach walk can be one of them. Still, a change of venue prompts a change of habits.
And that – along with fewer distractions – is the key advantage of a solo writing retreat. Perhaps at home you get kids off to school, run errands, see friends and family, perform a job. On retreat, writing takes precedence over everything else. At least, that has been the case for me.
[clickToTweet tweet=”How productive might we be if we treat our everyday lives as a writing retreat? With a white noise app and a renewed commitment, could I go on retreat without leaving home? Could you? www.madisonmichael.net/writing-retreats #amwriting ” quote=”How productive might we be if we treat our everyday lives as a writing retreat? With a white noise app and a renewed commitment, could I go on retreat without leaving home? Could you? “]
2 Hints
1/ Solo retreats or residencies: When I set a goal to write all morning, there is no reason not to achieve it. When the urge to write later in the day strikes, that pesky habit of watching news loses out to pages and pages of new work. Some authors can write anytime, anywhere – they make writing their priority. They are on retreat in their brains. I envy them. I know an author who can write undeterred simply by sitting in a certain location at the local library. We all have our habits, triggered by feelings of creativity or the window of opportunity.
What happens if we trade life’s chaotic background for the sound of waves? How productive might we be if we treat our everyday lives as a writing retreat? With a white noise app and a renewed commitment, could I go on retreat without leaving home? Could you?
2/ Shared retreats: Some authors prefer to attend organized writing retreats with experts and leaders available. These are retreats where you can hone your craft under the watchful eye of a literature professor or perhaps a seasoned author, who will teach the skills writers dream of acquiring. These are often in exciting settings where you can get away from it all, meet lifelong friends and tap your creative side.
These retreats can focus on poetry, or romance novels, on women or food. They can include hikes, yoga, culinary arts, or other enticements in addition to improved writing.
If you like that idea but cannot afford an organized retreat, or meet their scheduling requirements, consider organizing a retreat of your own. Grab your writing friends, get a cabin in the woods, rooms at the nearby hotel or find your serenity in a spa. The options are endless. Just remember your primary goal is writing.
[clickToTweet tweet=”For 2018, the choice of retreats is enormous. Read 3 of my favorites. Know a writer who might want to go on retreat? A retreat makes a great gift for a writer too. www.madisonmichael.net/writing-retreats #amwriting” quote=”For 2018, the choice of retreats is enormous. Here are three of my favorites. Know a writer who might want to go on retreat? Share this post with them. A retreat makes a great gift for a writer too.”]
2/ Shared retreats: Some authors prefer to attend organized writing retreats with experts and leaders available. These are retreats where you can hone your craft under the watchful eye of a literature professor or perhaps a seasoned author, who will teach the skills writers dream of acquiring. These are often in exciting settings where you can get away from it all, meet lifelong friends and tap your creative side.
These retreats can focus on poetry, or romance novels, on women or food. They can include hikes, yoga, culinary arts, or other enticements in addition to improved writing.
If you like that idea but cannot afford an organized retreat, or meet their scheduling requirements, consider organizing a retreat of your own. Grab your writing friends, get a cabin in the woods, rooms at the nearby hotel or find your serenity in a spa. The options are endless. Just remember your primary goal is writing.
3 Articles on Writing Retreats
For 2018, the choice of retreats is enormous. Here are three of my favorite articles on the subject covering retreats for every writer and every pocketbook. Remember, a retreat makes a great gift for a writer too.
1/ The Write Life offers “37 Incredible Writing Retreats to Attend in 2018” a cornucopia of options for every writer. Would a retreat in Cambodia or the Himalayas appeal to you? Perhaps you prefer the beaches of Mexico or the beauty of Costa Rica. These options and more are offered here. There will certainly be one to fuel the writer in you.
2/ “The 8 Best Writing Retreats That Won’t Break the Bank” from Electric Literature offers some great choices for an affordable get away. This is a great opportunity for a new author looking to improve her skills and make some life long friendships. They list retreats sponsored by authors, professors, universities and more. These options have you covered from coast to coast and across the pond.
3/ I love this 2017 article from the Washington Post. “When You’re Ready to Move from Summer Reading to Summer Writing” points to retreats that double as hiking trips, culinary experiences or more. Want to do a retreat/vacation and pick up two skills at once? Choose from these options.
Have you been on retreat? Please share your story, successful or unsuccessful, in the comments below.
Gem of the Week
My gem of the week comes from Draft2Digital. If you feel uncomfortable putting all your eggs in one basket (Amazon), or you wish to expand your reach, you may currently be using Draft2Digital for access to Nook, Kobo, libraries and more as well as for their Universal Book Links. Now, Draft2Digital has introduced two new features: Author Pages and Book Tabs, to help authors promote and sell more books. Author pages are a single location where readers can learn more about you and your books to help solidify your brand and promote your work. Book tabs are sales pages for your books that are completely independent from a particular bookseller.
For a quick tutorial on Author pages watch this YouTube video, and this one for more about book tabs.