New Article from Manuscript Rx - Writer's Retreat at Home

[ostarella]

www.ManuscriptRx.com

What you can learn from a writer's retreat, whether you can attend one or not.

Maybe this will be the holiday season you request a gift from family and friends that you really want...a weekend away at a writing retreat, for example. However, if you're like most people juggling work and family and everything in between, a trip to Mars is just as likely as a weekend devoted to your writing.

But don't let the reality of your current situation get you down: there are things you can learn from a writer's retreat, whether you can manage to get to a bona fide retreat or not. And most importantly, you can apply these things to your writing habit today and in the process help yourself grow as a writer.

~Set aside a space for writing.

This might sound like a 'duh' statement, but you'd be surprised at how many writers out there have not claimed the teensiest space for themselves to take part in the physical act of writing, yet they want other people to know they're serious about the pursuit and respect them in the process. Of course, the physical space in which you write isn't the most important element of your writing habit by any stretch of the imagination (it's probably not even among the top three), but having a location you feel comfortable in, and one you and the family knows is yours, will create a psychological space for you that will help you feel like a Real Writer, and an industrious one at that.

Even if it's only a tiny, slightly lopsided garage-sale desk that you manage to squeeze into a corner of your bedroom, as long as it's not covered in bills most of the time, or little Tommy's hamster Habitrail, then you've got your space. When you look at it, your creative wheels will start turning, and by the time you sit down to write, your gears will already be primed.

Think of that desk as the writing retreat island in the midst of an ocean of busyness.

~Set aside time for writing.

Another 'duh' statement, right? Not really, according to surveys everywhere. Far too many writers who think of themselves as writers don't sit down on a regular basis to actually write. I'm not trying to minimize the problem, since I know the mortgage is yelling to be paid, and the kids are asking to be carted somewhere (yet again), and the car you're carting them with is demanding to be tuned up. But after a while, if we really want to write, those things are just excuses. Reality, yes, but excuses in the end. Even if it means you have to give up a half hour of TV each night (or all of your TV each night, if you're truly brave), and even if that half hour of TV includes "Dancing with the Stars" or "CSI: Miami," you can indeed shoehorn writing time into your already over-full life.

Think of that dedicated writing time as the writing retreat's Scheduled Inspiration in the midst of an ever-growing to-do list.

~Let your family/friends know you're serious about writing.

Dr. Patrick Proctor has a name for well-meaning loved ones who (intentionally or otherwise) pull us down: the crabs of "The Crab Syndrome." If you've ever been crabbing, you know that if you have one crab in the bucket, you need to put a lid on that bucket or the crab will climb out. But once you have two or more crabs in your pail, you can toss the lid aside. Why? Once one crab starts to climb out, the other(s) will pull that would-be escapee back down into the bucket. Watch out for this syndrome in your own life.

It might not be that your loved ones don't want you to be happy or successful, but people who don't write rarely understand people who do. So it's likely that you'll have people telling you to put down the pen and forget about that "little hobby that makes you pull your hair out." You need to assert and remind them that you'll spend your leisure time as you see fit.

Point to your dedicated writing time and writing space as proof of your commitment. If you stand firm, your family and friends will eventually internalize the message you desire.

~Lower your expectations for first-draft writing.

Too many writers, when they finally sit down to write in their own space, on their own timetable, with their family/friends safely in the distance (or at least on the other side of the door), only sit down to find frustration. Why? They're trying to come up with the perfect idea or sentence or paragraph. First drafts are no place for perfection...they're the places where you can really explore your creative self and make a mess in the process. Take advantage of your dedicated time, whether it's at a retreat or in that corner of your bedroom, by getting the words on the page...even when the words add up to hackneyed sentences. The more words you write, the more ideas you'll churn. So focus on quantity, not quality in your first drafts.

~Think of that first-draft process as little brainstorming sessions of your own writer's retreat...smaller sessions that add up to whopping big ones after a year's time.

~Find like-minded people.

You've heard the adage: Writers need other writers. It's true. Not during the writing process, of course, when we have to be alone at our desks, but later. We need people in our lives who understand the joys and frustrations unique to this creative pursuit (and often it's the case that only other writers really get it). Sharing pieces of your writing life will make you feel less alone (and, if your family misunderstands you, less misunderstood). This validation of your struggles will encourage you to continue.

~Swap work with aforementioned like-minded people.

You don't need a retreat to make connections, though. Seek out a critique group (the Internet is the best place to start, even if you're looking for a local group). If you can't find one, consider starting your own. (For added information on what to look for in a critique partner, follow the link to read the past newsletter that discusses that.)

~Try to shut the outside world out, even for short periods of time.

The fact is, even from your writing space, you'll be able to hear the kids fighting in the next room. Or the ringing phone that so rudely pulls you out of the masterful scene you're weaving. This is where learning how to shut out the outside world, even in small doses, will come in handy. Of course retreats have an advantage there since they pick you up out of your daily life and whisk you off to somewhere where your real life isn't, but you can train your brain to do it anywhere. (For some pointers on how a meditative practice, even a very rudimentary one, can help your brain stay on track while you write, follow the link to read the newsletter that deals with that topic.)

~Legitimize your pursuit.

Yes, you can legitimize your work as a writer all on your own; you don't need editors or agents or others from the publishing industry to make your writing "real" (publication is a worthy goal, and I don't mean to imply it isn't...but don't wait until you're published to feel like a Real Writer...you can give yourself that gift today).

When we attend talks and retreats and conferences, it's much easier to feel like a bona fide writer. But remember that the true definition of the writer is "the one who stays at the desk." Only your solitary act of writing (and your corresponding belief in yourself) can really earn you the status of writer. Don't postpone that psychological gift to yourself and don't give that power away to anyone else.

Comments

[billy-shriner.livejournal.com]

Sometimes these little things make me feel more confident about myself and that I might actually pull it off. I'm doing most of the above :D I definitely have my support group in my Madbetas (or at least I think I do ;-P). I have my writing space - the study is now Mummy's room :-P

And I am trying to tell people 'I'm a writer' and that I am taking it seriously.

Wouldn't it be nice though to go away for a weekend, just to write.... dream, dream, dream....