Secrets of a Writer’s Retreat — Is it Really Worth Your Time?

It’s no secret that I’ve wanted to attend a writer’s retreat for years. The only problem? When I looked into different options, I just couldn’t justify the cost or the length of time I would need to take off from work. I figured there was some sort of secret to it, something I just couldn’t quite put my finger on– and then, Camp Creepy (a Great Lakes Horror Company run writer’s retreat) came into my life.

I made the commitment to attend this writer’s retreat because it was very affordable. Plus, it was the right length: start on a Friday, return on a Sunday. The only part I wasn’t so sure about was what I would get from the experience, which made me wonder: will this writer’s retreat really be worth my time?

Talk to any writer and you’ll hear mixed opinions on writer’s retreats. Some can’t focus in an unfamiliar environment, while others would love to attend but need to make sure there’s available room in the budget (hi!). Whatever your feelings on writer’s retreats, or just plain old retreats in general, I’m here to tell you that there isn’t just one answer. A retreat is what you make out of it, and there’s plenty of ways to do just that.

The Price is Right

I’ve done a lot of digging into different types of writer’s retreats. I can tell you that most of them don’t come cheap and require at least a few vacation days. I’ve also priced out going away for the weekend on my own. When you factor in a car rental, hotel or cottage rental, plus food, it really doesn’t help to make the experience cheaper. So, when I found out about Camp Creepy, I evaluated the cost against what was included, plus the amount of work I could get done. For me, this particular writer’s retreat was definitely worth the price of admission.

That being said, there are so many different ways to go on a writer’s retreat. You just really need to define what that means to you. No matter your financial situation, there are ways to get your writing done. You can do a small retreat to a local library or coffee shop. If you need a change of scenery, you can contact friends or family and visit them for a few days. You can even turn your writing space into a writer’s retreat for the weekend, or even a week.

If you set aside the time, you’ll find that the location doesn’t matter so much. You know what will work for you. The whole point is to write. So, even if you can manage to set aside one Sunday a month, your “writer’s retreat” will be well worth your time.

You’re Going . . . Where?

If you can, pick a retreat that is well out of the city in which you live. Camp Creepy was about 3.5 – 4 hours away from where I live. It was a diamond in the rough, a massive cottage by a lake with trails to walk along. Basically, there was gorgeous scenery every which way I turned. The best part? No access to WiFi. As you can imagine, it made focusing on writing just a little bit easier.

If you can’t find the time to get out of the city (or you don’t want to use up any vacation days), no problem. There are options for you too! Pick a weekend. Any weekend. Book it off in your calendar, or your mind– whatever works for you. Pick a place to write. It could be a local library, coffee shop, or even a room in your home. All you need is your computer, laptop or even a notebook.

Worried that the Internet will distract you? No problem. There are plenty of free tools on the market that will help you to focus, including an app called Focus (that author, JH Moncrieff mentioned in one of her amazing blog posts on resources for writers). So, no matter where you are, you’ll be free to get your writing done.

Generate Creative Energy

Finding the energy to focus on writing for almost three days straight is tough. For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed that I definitely took some time away from my laptop. I was also with a group of writer folks who I admire, and really enjoy their company. As you can imagine, the urge to sit and chat was strong.

The funny thing is, the moment I put money down on anything, my brain flips a switch. Suddenly, all I can think about is getting the absolute most out of whatever it is I paid for. Like wringing a wet cloth dry, I managed to write almost 10K, plus outline a few key changes in the draft for Book 3. In only 2 days.

Increased Output

To give you an idea of my general output: when I participate in NaNoWriMo (which is coming up fast, friends!), I manage between the 1,600 to 2000 words, which hovers around the minimum daily word count. Now, are those good, usable words? Sometimes. But not often. Outside NaNoWriMo I can generate between 800 – 1000 good, solid words a day, and that’s if I’ve got time between freelancing gigs. These estimates don’t even include my editing pace, which is sometimes fast, but mostly turtle-racing slow.

When applied topically it can bring a significance change to your health if you have been undergoing or suffering from the dangerous lowest price for levitra fires. Now a man can enjoy and satisfy a long lasting sex. https://www.unica-web.com/documents/patronageapplicationform.doc levitra mastercard They are afraid of being judged, laughed at and that is unica-web.com on line viagra why cannot discuss their sexual problems openly. The ability to view here now generic viagra buy change sex is, as the case may be, the most normal.
I think I’ve made my point. Dedicating the time to writing, and only writing was a great way to make some progress.

Breaks & Encouragement

I don’t want to give off the impression that I wrote for 24 hours straight and sustained myself only with coffee and chips (as tempting as that was). It’s impossible, not to mention unhealthy to write for too many hours without breaks. At Camp Creepy I was incredibly spoiled. All meals were prepared for us, which meant that we didn’t have to worry about cooking for ourselves. When lunch was served, we all gathered and ate together. Conversation touched on this and that, but the main topic on everyone’s mind was, how is your writing going?  Everyone would give a little update, and it really helped to boost my creative energy and get back at it once the meal was over.

You HAVE to WANT to Write

Are you ready? Here’s the biggest secret of all: If you want to participate in a writing retreat, you have to want to put in the work. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Admittedly, there have been times where I’ve picked a random Sunday, determined to make some progress on my latest writing project, only to give in to distraction within two hours (alright, fine. Thirty minutes). So, when it came to signing up for this writer’s retreat, I spent some quality time digging into two things:

1. 1. The project I wanted to work on.
   2. What I thought I could realistically accomplish.

The first part was easy. I wanted to work on Book 3. The second part? Well, that was a bit more difficult to figure out.

I think the word realistically is incredibly important when approaching what you want to accomplish on a writer’s retreat. Deciding that you will write 10 chapters and 3 short stories in two days is only going to leave you feeling defeated. Be kind yourself– a writer’s retreat isn’t NaNoWriMo. If you think you can only get through one chapter because that is your natural pace, then that’s your goal. At the same time, don’t set the bar so low that you end up finishing in less than an hour and then hang out by the chip bowl for the rest of the retreat.

After re-reading the beginning of Book 3 I realized that I needed to slow the pace down. Way down. So, I settled on writing 3 chapters over 2 days (which included a bit of editing and rethinking a few other chapters). It felt like an achievable goal but also made me sweat a little. The pressure helped me to focus and I managed to finish with a couple of hours to spare!

So the next time you find yourself wishing you could get away and focus on your writing, know that you CAN. You just need to make the commitment. Take it from me, rest will follow and ultimately whatever trip you take will absolutely be worth it.