You can’t always afford a week-long writing conference, nor can everyone get away for an entire week at a time. Here’s how you can plan your very own writing retreat to match your time and budget!
- Carve out the time – pick a period that suits your schedule. Try to make it at least a full weekend, if not longer. You might spend half the first day sleeping in and winding down from all the stress of your normal life. Schedule this time just as you would any vacation: put it on the calendar, tell your friends and family you’re going away, and let your boss know you’ll be incommunicado for that time.
- Check your budget – if you can’t afford a week at the beach (or a 4 day railroad trip), look into a few days at a local hotel or B&B, or break out the camping gear and plan a solo trip somewhere. Try to get away from the house if you can, because those chores and family/friends will be too tempted to interrupt with their little “emergencies” if you’re just camping in the backyard.
- Plan your project – have a definite goal in mind for your retreat, even if it’s just “write 1,500 words a day” or “edit three chapters a day.” If you treat this as a professional retreat, you’re far more likely to get the results you’re hoping for. You can even check out those writing books from the local library and schedule some “classroom” time in between writing sessions.
- Stick to your guns – unless a true emergency arises, avoid the temptation to get a few chores done, chat with your brother, meet a friend for coffee, or finish that last report for work. Again, treat this as a professional retreat. This is work of a different sort, and it’s just as important as that load of laundry.
If you plan ahead, you can enjoy a mini-retreat almost any time. You can even schedule several in a year. The important thing is the word “retreat” – get away from normal life and live in your imagination for a few days. You’ll return refreshed and ready to get back to your routine.