OK, so I’ve now broken a cardinal rule for success – consistency. Since starting this blog, I’ve consistently posted articles on the second Wednesday of each month. In my defense, I have a good reason for upsetting the apple cart.
I returned from my first writing retreat last week and made the conscious decision to move this month’s previously written article to next month. I wanted to instead write about my experience.
Those of you who follow me might remember I’m a confirmed introvert. I prefer to write quietly at home, then share my thoughts and experiences on my website blog and on Substack. So, naturally, I found the thought of attending a writing retreat daunting.
Yes, me! The woman who recently posted an article about business networking, and knows writing is a business. I feel exposed.
After scolding myself for not practicing what I preach, I registered to attend the Women’s Fiction Writers Association 2024 Writing Retreat in Albuquerque, New Mexico. #WFWAretreat24
Conversations with fellow authors prior to going reinforced the benefits of attending these events. My experience at WFWA’s retreat touched on all of them.
You connect with writers struggling with similar issues.
Talk about struggling! I’d written and rewritten the opening line of my manuscript
more times than you can imagine, but something was missing. One night, while having
dinner with other writers at the retreat, the folks at my table shared pitches to describe
their current work-in-progress or soon-to-be-published manuscript. After delivering
mine, a tablemate spoke the perfect words to end the line I’d been wrestling with.
You attend workshops that improve your writing and storytelling skills.
The retreat topic focused on maximizing the use of emotions in your writing. This
workshop was especially helpful because creating fiction requires skills different from
those I’ve developed in my mostly nonfiction/technical writing experience.
You learn the ins and outs of the publishing process.
Other retreat topics included step-by-step instructions on how to self-publish your
work along with an extremely informative book marketing book camp. Both will prove
valuable as I go through the process of querying my debut novel for agent representation, publication by a small press, or if I choose to self-publish.
You can plan your own retreat.
I recently listened to a fellow author’s video about the writing retreat she hosts. A
point she made resonated with me. She said you can give yourself your own retreat
anytime, anywhere. A structured event with speakers, scheduled writing time, lunch,
dinner, and other activities is not necessary. And your retreat doesn’t have to be far
from home. You can rent a hotel room or an Airbnb. Give yourself time away from your
routine and distractions to just write or read.
Although I work from home and am reasonably disciplined, I still experience interruptions, and I don’t read as much as I would like. The idea of creating my own retreat by changing my environment to a unique setting where I can solely focus on both writing and reading entices me.
Meanwhile, I just got word that a small press has rejected my one-day best-selling novel. However, I am grateful to the editor, who took the time to offer valuable feedback. So, while I enjoyed traveling and being pampered for three days at a fabulous hotel, I’m seriously considering following through on the suggestion of planning a local, low key personal retreat to go back to the editing drawing board. You gotta do what you gotta do!
I would love to know if you’ve ever attended a writer’s retreat. What did you get from the experience? Would you do it again? Hit me up in the comments.
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