A Writers’ Retreat

Every once in a while, a friend and I go out of the area for a writers’ retreat.  This isn’t sponsored by anyone or anything–it’s just us–Judith Laik and I, and sometimes our two other friends can make it if we’re lucky.  We pack up our clothes, food, and writing materials . . . oh, and an itty bit of wine . . . and off we go.

This time we left Monday morning and came home Friday night.  Believe me, every minute is useful.  The drive to the condo is our planning time.  We decide what books each of us will work on, and how much time we require for actual writing versus brainstorming.

We discuss new techniques for either brainstorming or craft, and we decide which ones we’ll try and how much time we’ll give each to produce results.  After all, we do have tried-and-true methods, but we’re always on the hunt for something new.  We learned a long time ago that every story evolves in its own way, no matter how we try to force it.

Some techniques we used this time:
April Kihlstrom’s BIAW class
Discovering Story Magic
Debra Dixon’s Goal, Motivation, and Conflict
A deck of cards with story ideas (can’t remember where Judith bought these)

After we arrive, the first item on the agenda is to unpack as quickly as possible and go to the grocery store for fresh foods.  We plan it so we can get everything we need for the week, because we didn’t drive all this way to shop.  We hurry with life’s mundane chores so we can get down to business.  Even during our chores, we’re still discussing our stories.

Yay!  Dinner is done, the dishes are in the dishwasher, the wine is poured, the chips and salsa are on the coffee table, our AlphaSmarts have new batteries–we’re set!  After spending several hours in the car, as well as discussing our stories’ needs during our chorse, we have a good idea what needs to happen.

This time, we both needed the same things: 1) gaining confidence that we could write our stories; and 2) analyzing our stories’ weaknesses and brainstorming how to fix them.

We took turns, working first on my book, then on hers.  We started using April Kihlstrom’s technique for preparing for a Book In A Week challenge.  Wow, she has some great stuff and I highly encourage anyone to take her classes.  I immediately identified the flaw in my story (the conflict wasn’t sustainable), and we proceeded to figure out how to fix the problem, which took a while, but we did it.

Then we had to work on Judith’s book.  Her first priority was to decide what the ending will be so she can plot toward it.  That took a while, but we managed to brainstorm a rather clever ending–clever in its simplicity.  Off to our beds with  only our AlphaSmarts for companionship (Judy has a laptop, too, so not quite true).  We wrote until we were either stuck or asleep.

Each day is pretty much the same: discuss our stories, plot out the next scene, then go our separate ways and write.  We think about our stories in the shower, we discuss our plot problems over meals, and we even try our best to dream stories and remember them when we wake up.

We also take a break mid-afternoon and go for a walk.  A little exercise stimulates the brain and we find we get more done if we schedule a walk.  What do we talk about?  Yep, our books.

These writers’ retreats aren’t holidays–they’re working trips and we get a lot done.  This time, I didn’t burn up the pages with words, but I certainly made significant progress so that now I can burn up the pages with words, which I plan to start doing today.

It’s wonderful to jumpstart my Muse a few times a year, and I wish everyone could plan their own writing retreats.  If you do, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Not every writer needs the same thing.  Some might need actual plot brainstorming, some might want to discuss theme or the philosophy of their story, some might need to go write after minimal discussion.
• Whether a writer takes it or not, each person should be allotted the same amount of discussion time.  It’s vital that everyone leave the retreat knowing they’ve accomplished significant progress.
• Be careful not to get off on tangents or gossip.  It’s too easy to fritter away valuable retreat time.  Believe me, even five days (three full days and two packing/driving days) is too short.
• Decide ahead of time how you’re going to share expenses.

This would have been a great prelude to NaNoWriMo.  Maybe we can schedule it for the last week of October next year.

Speaking of NaNoWriMo, how’s everyone doing?

Faery Merry Christmas

Faery Merry Christmas: A Heartwarming Novella

by Jacquie Rogers
(Kindle only at this time)

Romance has gone awry in Faeryshire.

Who would’ve thought Mr. and Mrs. Claus’s daughter would be “on the shelf”?  Yep, Cheshya’s all a’flutter because her 2,000th birthday, the last day she’s eligible to take a mate, is on Christmas, only four days away, but Liam of the Red Clan, the only man she has ever wanted is otherwise occupied . . .

Terra Humanus in 1956: carhops on roller skates, the submarine races, a pink Nash Metropolitan, Lucky Strikes, Little Richard, and the Shoreline Sharks Baseball Club starring ace pitcher Liam Stone.

For the past five years, Liam of the Red Clan has lived in Terra Humanus, pitching for the Shoreline Sharks and obsessed with signing as a major league pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds.   The faery queen sends Cheshya to help him achieve his goal, but in signing with the Reds, will he lose out on his true heart’s desire?

What will it take to make a Faery Merry Christmas?

“What faery fun!  A winsome sprite’s barely still-ticking time clock.  Mayhem in the land of Claus.  And the man who could wave just the right magic wand obsessed with baseball.  A Christmas story to cuddle up with–and keep you really warm.” Stella Cameron, NYT Best-selling Author

Tags: brainstorming, judith laik, planning, plotting, writers retreat