What is a writing retreat really like?

February 1, 2009 4:25 AM

I've been awarded a place in a month-long writing residency/retreat in the countryside. But I'm scared! What if I'm no good at it?

I have managed to get a place in a prestigious writing retreat program in the north-eastern US, where I don't have to do anything except for write. I still have a few months to go before the retreat begins, but I'm already terrified. I'm worried that I'll have trouble getting anything done when I have such a huge empty block of time ahead of me. I'd really love to hear from any Mefites who have successfully completed such a retreat. Googling hasn't turned up much except that I shouldn't plan to finish ten novels and make detailed outlines for another ten.

All I have to do on the retreat is write; all cooking, cleaning, washing and everything else will be taken care of for me. Have you been on a writing retreat? What was it like?

posted by different to work & money (12 answers total)

Author Maureen Johnson recently posted on her blog a journal she kept on a month-long writer's retreat. She writes a lot more about how weird it is than how her work is going, but the timing was too good not to mention it.

(She's actually a much better and funnier writer than the teen midriffs on her covers would imply, so don't let the sidebar throw you off).
posted by lampoil at 5:33 AM on February 1, 2009

If you were selected for the place in the program, you are good enough to deserve it, and you just have to force yourself to do it. This episode of The Show with Ze Frank addresses executing ideas: just keep going. Maybe it'll suck the first time you get it out, but keep going.
posted by The Michael The at 6:59 AM on February 1, 2009

Oh, warning: NSFW on that video.
posted by The Michael The at 6:59 AM on February 1, 2009

What ever your personal method of preparation is (notes, outlines, research), do a lot of that now, and less actual writing. Spend some meta time thinking of how you set up the micro-environment around your desk, what works, what distracts, bring some of each.
posted by sammyo at 7:20 AM on February 1, 2009 [1 favorite]

Wow, did you get a Macdowell? Good for you. I've done a month-long period writing escape, though my award was in Chicago. I realize that's a slightly different environment, but I've also done week-long retreats to cabins in the woods. A friend of mine (who is also a writer) did go to Macdowell, I believe, and had a good experience.

My advice is to avoid putting pressure on yourself to write. If you're anything like me, the more you push, the harder it is to get anything out of yourself. I tried to approach writing as if it was something I simply wanted to do at that moment -- not something I had to do. I reminded myself that I had an entire month to write, and if I don't get a great poem in this sitting, I'll have many other opportunities. I know that other people work differently. Perhaps you respond better to rigid outlines and making personal deadlines. That's an option, but it's not one that works for me. I only get my ass into gear for someone else's deadlines.

The other thing to note is that there will very likely be almost NOTHING else to do. It's engineered that way. You may mingle with other artists in common areas from time to time, but most of the attendees are going to be pretty serious about doing work too. I don't think there's anything in the personal accommodations to distract you, so no TV or the like. At a certain point, you may come to look forward to sitting down to write because it occupies your mind. At least you won't be going in the dead of winter, so you'll be able to get outside and enjoy the air/catch the gorgeous scenery. Hopefully, it will inspire you.

Good luck and congratulations!
posted by theantikitty at 7:52 AM on February 1, 2009 [1 favorite]

I'm not sure where in the North East you're going - that's kind of a big area! My mom went to Vermont Studio Center for a month long writing retreat and loved it.

My crackpot advice would be not to worry about it ahead of time. Just go there and relax and, well, write. Make outlines at home for what you'd like to accomplish and see where that takes you. Have a sort of "game plan," but don't be afraid to stray from it if you find yourself going in other directions.

Congrats!
posted by grapefruitmoon at 8:51 AM on February 1, 2009

Firstly, congratulations! And secondly I'll give you the advice that my ivy league college gave me back in the day during matriculation. If they let you in it's because they believed in you and believed you could get something meaningful from the experience. Why not, as preparation, buy a journal into which you can start jotting down ideas of things you'd like to write, then don't let yourself write about anything in the journal until you get to the retreat.
posted by big open mouth at 9:32 AM on February 1, 2009

Congrats!

Try to think of this as a break in which Writing May Occur. And then consider: what is the consequence of no writing occurring? Is that really something of which you need to be terrified?

To be honest, the back end of the arse end of Vermont is very beautiful and extremely dull. There are only so many romantic walks you can take with yourself before you need something else to do. That is probably why writing retreats are located in the back end of the arse end of places like Vermont and not in, say, New York City: there's pretty much nothing to do but write, paint, etc.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:26 AM on February 1, 2009

You might want to hear what Spalding Gray has to say about the experience in Monster in a Box.
posted by LastOfHisKind at 11:41 AM on February 1, 2009

I did a month-long artists' residency in the NE US last year, at a place where there were also writers. I was surprised to discover how busy it actually was -- I had to buy food to keep in my studio so I could get more time to work by skipping lunch in the dining hall. Lots and lots of people did a kind of early-rise, stop working at 7 kind of thing, which didn't really mesh with my late-night style. I found that it was hard to keep working after 8 pm with everyone stopping by wanting to hang out or play pool in the common room or whatnot. Also there were lots of events at night, like readings from residents and slide shows and things like that. I was there not just to work but to network with others, so I felt like I shouldn't skip those events.

I did get a lot of work done, but not what I expected to get done. I would suggest bringing lists of ideas, works-in-progress, older projects to revise, and some inspiration. And maybe a book on craft that you can dip into if you feel stuck? I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that a lot of people ended up collaborating. I did that too, towards the end, when I needed some distance from my project but didn't want to fritter away the time.

One writer who was in the midst of a novel project had brought photographs of her novel's settings with her. That seemed like a clever way to leave the atmosphere of the residency behind when necessary. Another good recommendation is to make a plan for avoiding the internet, which was harder for the writers than it was for the visual artists, because the writers had computers right in front of them and an internet connection for research. Consider telling friends and family that you only have access one hour a day or something.
posted by xo at 1:05 PM on February 1, 2009

I saw a great post here on AskMe (alas, I can't remember where specifically, or I'd link to it) that suggested setting incredibly low expectations for yourself as a way to deal with overwhelming internal pressure.

So, set a ridiculously low goal for yourself: "I will write one poem during the month I'm there." or "I will write two pages of my novel." You're likely to knock that out during the first week - leaving you the rest of the month to do whatever writing wants to come out during the retreat, without running into the massive wall of unrealistic expectations.
posted by kristi at 2:12 PM on February 1, 2009

Thank you everyone for all these answers. There's heaps to work with here. I really appreciate every response.
posted by different at 12:58 PM on February 11, 2009