Plan a Solo Writing Retreat with Me

I have recently switched careers. The main side effect? I have zero time to write. My vacation daydreams are not of beaches and metroplexes but cabins in woods, nature, alone time with naught but a pen and paper or keyboard and computer. Thus, writing retreats, something I was interested in before, has become somewhat of an obsession. That’s my perfect vacation. Time where the only obligation to fulfill is creative expression.

What is a Writing Retreat?

“Lock me in a room with just me, beverage of choice, and my manuscript.”

If you’ve ever said or thought that, you’ve desired a writing retreat. Most writing retreats are an all-day affair. If you’re thinking it’s a vacation where you happen to write a couple of hours out of the day, you are not desiring a writing retreat in the traditional style. Writing retreats are often held in homes or other types of abodes that accommodate a large group of people and have a kitchen.

Traditional writing retreats will involve a group of writers, an itinerary, and a lot of writing.

As you can see, the goal is to write and write a lot.

This one is a little different. I intend on doing this writing retreat solo. I will note when something should apply to a group, but for the rest of the article, keep in mind that it is intended for a solitary writer.

The Basics

• Pick your budget
• Pick your dates
• Pick your location
• Group or solo?

Pick Your Budget

Budget is the most important determinator of your writing retreat.

The biggest budget expense is going to be where it is held. Because you’re going to be “trapped” in the space for the majority of the day, you want to ensure that the space is someplace that has everything you need.

The next expense is food. Are you going to bring your own groceries and cook? Order food delivery? Venture out and pick up food?

How are you going to get to your writing retreat location? Drive? Fly? Bus? Train? What are the costs of each? For example, if you’re driving, you’ll need to make sure your car is up to shape for traveling if it’s a long drive. That is something that needs to be included in the budget so you don’t get hit with “secret” costs.

If you’re planning a small group, you’ll have to consider the limits of each individual you invite in regards to location and food, but not transportation. Some writing retreats divide meal times by assigning a person to take care of meals that day. Some (that usually cost a lot more) will hire personal chefs to do all the meals. If you desire that sort of experience, include it in your budget.

Pick Your Dates

The number of days that you pick is up to you. Me? I know myself and know that I should begin with a smaller date range (like a 3-day weekend) before I attempt a longer period like a week.

Pick Your Location

Location, location, location! The second most important consideration after budget.

The place you decide to write at should accommodate your specific desires. For instance, if I want to write in a cabin in the woods, obviously I need to look at places that have cabins in woods. If I want to be by water, find a place with a beach or lake, etc. Think about your free time allotment. Do you want to go walking? Swimming? Hiking? Do you want to be someplace where you can shop? Go on a coffee run? The fun part of picking a solo writing excursion is being able to create your own itinerary.

The First Starlight Novelist Retreat

I will have a 3-day weekend in February. I have a small budget of $350 for the entire retreat. I will be driving. The closest place with cabins in woods is a 6 hour drive. I would consider that during an extended writing retreat (possibly this summer!) but not for 3 days. A six hour drive is not worth three days. That’s 12 hours of time cut for travel! Therefore, I’m picking a college town that’s about two hours away from me for my weekend retreat.

I used AirBnB to find a place to stay. I looked at Bed and Breakfast places, since they’re usually within walking distance of shopping centers, but they were out of my budget. AirBnB had a variety of guest houses available that had everything I needed: a bed, a toilet, a table or desk to write at, and a kitchen. Thanks to AirBnB, my total cost of housing for 2 nights ended up being around $200.

AirBnB doesn’t give you an exact address, but it does give you a general location. By zooming in on their map, I could find landmarks that allowed me to look them up on Google Maps, which I could then use to scope out what’s around the general vicinity. I knew that I wanted to do coffee shop writing in the afternoons, so I wanted a place that would have a coffee shop close.

Now it’s on the calendar. What next?

The Pregame

• What do I want from this retreat?
• Know your working style and create a goal
• Log your progress — be it a writing log, social media, texting family or friends
• Make checklists and a daily itinerary

Now that you’ve gotten your accommodations settled, what next? Ask yourself what you want from this retreat.

Some writers can sit down with a premise and go to town with a story. I am not that kind of writer. But even if you are that kind of writer, you’ll still need a game plan before going. And by game plan, I mean goal.

For most people, having an ambitious goal works best. An ambitious goal will keep you accountable. The advantage of a group retreat is accountability. On a solo retreat, it’s up to you to hold yourself accountable. I know that I have ADHD. I therefore need to ensure failsafes that will keep me on track. What works for me is a writing log and a goal.

If you know that you’re the type of person who shuts down under pressure, make yourself a goal that’s equal to or below your capability. That way, you can feel confident when you start surpassing it and use that confidence as a boost.

The key term here is “know yourself”. Even if you’re not sure of who you are as a writer yet, you should have an idea of how you work and like to work. Make it a strength.

Can I write an entire novel in 3 days? I cannot. But I know I can at least get an arc completed or several chapters. Because I am an outliner, I know I can go into this retreat saying “I want to write to x point on my outline”.

HYPE

Hype yourself and this retreat up. Get excited about going! Get excited about all the progress you’re going to make! Tell people about it! Make it a thing for your author branding! The more I look forward to something, the more excited I will be about doing it. Use that to your advantage and get a boost the first day.

Craft Your Itinerary

Even though it’s a solo writing retreat, I am going to create an itinerary. This will keep me from procrastinating. Plus, it helps to hype me up by thinking of how I’m going to spend my days. Here’s the itinerary I’m going to use. It gives me 11 total hours of writing time a day. It also gives me a free evening. Usually, I am up by 3 or 4 am for my job, so waking at 5 is not an issue for me.

As for the coffee shops, I will pick those out ahead of time and program their addresses into a list on my phone.

Pomodoro is a productivity technique designed to maximize your working time. I use it successfully, so whenever I want to spend a day or period working, I utilize this technique. During the 5-minute breaks, I get up and walk around, refill my beverages, etc. During the 30-minute break, I plan on working on my author branding (social media posts) and playing my phone games.

Create Your Checklists

The next thing to do is create two checklists. The first one is your standard packing list that you need for a trip. The added elements are the special things you need to write, of course.

Something to note is that you want to ensure your devices are charged before you leave for your retreat. That way, there’s no worries about about charging anything when you arrive.

Good Luck

Now that you’ve planned your solo writing retreat, all that’s left to do is go and write.

May you have a safe trip and writing success!

Bonus Downloads

Bonus download 1: A shortlist for your retreat

Bonus Download 2: A checklist for planning your writing retreat

Bonus Download 3: A copy of my itinerary