Hopefully, you've got a regular time -- maybe weekly or even daily -- when you can write.
Sometimes, though, it can be really tricky to fit in even a little bit of writing on a regular basis. Maybe your day job is hectic, or you have small children, or you're caring for a relative. You might feel like there's hardly any time to spare (and when there is, you're too tired to write).
Whether or not you're writing regularly, a writing retreat can be a wonderful way to rekindle your enthusiasm for your writing and to make significant progress.
Tomorrow, I'm heading off to a local
hotel. I'll check in at 2pm, and I'll check out again just before 11am on Saturday. This is something I do every three months or so, and it's always a great experience. Just me, my laptop, and a ton of uninterrupted writing time.
I'm hoping for at least 10,000 more words on my NaNoWriMo novel (I'm a fast writer
– though I always redraft a lot).
Could you do something similar?
I know an
overnight retreat might not be practical for you: maybe it's too pricy, or you can't arrange the childcare, or you want to spend as much time as possible with your partner or family.
Instead, maybe you could spend a whole day (say, 9 – 5)
writing at a local library or cafe, or even in a (willing!) friend's house?
If life seems too busy for that, look well ahead in your calendar, and mark out some time that you do have available. Other things WILL fit around it (especially if you're putting money on the line for a hotel
booking).
I know there'll be some people reading this and thinking that they don't "deserve" a writing retreat. That whatever it is they're writing isn't important enough. That taking a whole day just to write would be somehow self-indugent, or even selfish.
Trust me, that's not true.
Other people spend time (and money, often lots of money) on the things they enjoy: sport, gadgets,
clothes, hobbies. There's no reason at all why you shouldn't do the same. You don't have to have had anything published. You don't have to have finished anything. You don't have to be working on a project that will ever get published or make money.
You are allowed to spend time with your writing
just because you want to!
I hope you can find some time to have a writing retreat in the next couple of months. (If you really can't take a day off from your other commitments, how about a single morning or afternoon?) Do email me to tell me where you went, and how you got on.
