DIY-ing a Writing Retreat

Welcome, Writers!

We have decided to try something fun, and we wanted to invite you to join us! Have you ever thought about going on a fancy writing retreat in some far-off place, only to realize you can’t afford the cost or the time off from work? We always thought a writing retreat just wasn’t going to be possible for us…until we stumbled across the DIY writing retreat idea from Rhonda Douglas.

After looking at her guide, we decided we wanted to have our own writing retreat! So Amber decided to drive down to visit me in Florida, and we started planning our retreat. We wanted to share our plans with you and offer some ideas for you to create your own writing retreat. In addition, we’ll have info on how you can join us virtually for the retreat!

Take Stock and Plan

First off, we suggest that you evaluate the time and funds you have available for your retreat. Can you take some time off work, or will you need to fit your retreat into the weekend? Can you book a hotel for a night or two, or will you go out during the day and return home to sleep? Where will you write? If you’re at a hotel you could write there, but if not, you can go to the library, a coffee shop, or a park. Another thing to consider is whether you have a writing buddy (or sister) that you would like to enjoy the retreat with. Lastly, figure out what writing project you will work on during your retreat. 

For our retreat, we were able to take time off work, so we’ll have 3 days. We decided to do day trips and sleep at my house, rather than paying for a hotel. For our writing project, we decided we want to write some continuations of short stories we had posted to the blog. Once you’ve figured out the basics, it’s time to start planning the itinerary. 

Daily Itinerary

The first afternoon or evening, you want to detox from technology and the daily grind, and take in some art and inspiration. If you can’t take time off work, this could be as simple as ignoring your phone and social media, and spending your Friday night reading. You could also visit an art museum or see a play. Choose whatever will inspire your creativity. You also want to get a good night’s sleep, and don’t set an alarm for the next morning.

Make sure to start your writing days in a relaxing way. Take your time with getting up and eating breakfast. Maybe sit outside and read or meditate. Then, head to your writing spot and get to work! You can choose one place for the entire day, or have a morning spot and an afternoon spot. Try to write as much as possible during the day. If you need a short break, try reading or walking until you feel ready to get back to the page. And of course, you can break for meals and coffee refills. After dinner, you can read, relax, and check in with an accountability partner.

Something else we decided to do, that wasn’t in the guide, was build in our own writing workshops. We compiled some video trainings, podcasts, and writing craft books that we hadn’t had the time for yet. We plan on working those lessons into the writing days, and using them to inform our writing. 

Join Us

We’ll be doing our writing retreat May 16th-18th, and we invite you to have your own writing retreat with us! We’ll post again after the retreat with all the fun things we did, and we’d love to know how your retreat went! You can also join the virtual retreat in our Facebook Group for updates, to share your own progress, and accountability check-ins!

Thanks so much for reading!

-Clever & WTF