Writing in community is important. Writing can be isolating and not having a source of support can be quite sad! Writing retreats are like mini-vacations for writers! They provide a place free of daily distractions in order to allow writers to focus. These places are special because they allow writers to focus on the work they want to write, rather than the things people believe you should be writing about!

Normally these retreats are over a weekend, with the expectation that if you were in an environment that was stripped of all distractions, then you would not have any excuses as to why you ‘don’t have time to write.’

Sometimes these retreats have workshops, breakout sessions, and have spaces to read aloud what you have been working on prior to the availability of this space, or what you have started since you have been there. The goal is to foster a space by which you can write, and write as much as you can in the time given!

Look into doing a retreat at least once! There are those whom are willing to open their home and spaces to foster writers for the work they must do. Will all these retreats be for every writer? Will they all be free? No, and neither should they be! Going on a retreat means you are investing in yourself as a writer, your writing time, as well as the project you are working on!

There is nothing particularly magical about writing retreats. They are a tool like any other in your writing repertoire! Like any tool in the hand of one eager to use it, all matter of good things can be created from it! So, go forth and create! Go forth and build out your writing/writer’s network! But above all, go forth and write!