Plan the retreat with your amazing writers’ group.
I started my writer’s group in 2010 and we’ve been going strong. We changed our name to Carondelet Writing Mastermind a few years ago. It’s five of us now. Four of us were able to attend the retreat.
- Set your goals for the retreat.
My goals for the retreat were to finish my two episodes for my book and outline the books coming next.
- Pick a place that’s inspiring.
We chose Hannibal MO the hometown of Mark Twain. It was very inspiring and beautiful in the fall. We also rented a Victorian House that slept four and it was like going back in time. I loved the huge rooms and hardwood floors. My only complaint was I had to come downstairs to use the bathroom.
- Create an agenda
Your retreat will go smoothly if you have an agenda. We decide do a mini tour of where we were located before we started the retreat. It was good thing because we were able to go into a few shops that weren’t open on Sunday when we left.
We started our retreat with some brainstorming. I think that’s my favorite part, helping other with their plotting of their manuscripts. Then we did a little writing before bed. I downloaded a box set called Outlining Your Novel by K. M. Weiland and I read a few chapters before I went to sleep. It gave me a lot of questions to ask for my outlining.
- Enjoy your writing time.
The next morning, we had breakfast and then went into our writing spaces. The house was big enough that we each had different places to sit without having to be on top of each other. I chose the big fluffy couch and was able to finish two episodes of my book.
- Mealtimes
We decided that we would have our breakfast and lunch together at the house. Each of us brought different food items to add to the meals.
For dinner we went out to a restaurant. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant, but I did have a lovely meal of Salmon, with a dill sauce, roasted potatoes, and asparagus. For dessert a huge piece of white cake that tasted like a wedding cake.
We do a lot of snacking too, so remember your favorite snacks for writing.
- Revisit your Goals
How did you do on your goals for the retreat. I completed my episodes, but I didn’t do any outlining for the next books. However, I did download the new books, so they will help me doing a better outline. So I consider it a Win of my goals.
- Make time to visit your retreat location
We had an early check out, so we decided to take the Mark Twain tour. I enjoyed learning more about Mark Twain’s life in Hannibal and what inspired his writings.
- Decided if you’ll host another writer’s retreat.
We decided we would like to do another retreat next year. We like the idea of visiting Author’s hometowns so we will be visiting my favorite author’s – Laura Ingalls Wilders hometown in Mansfield, MO. I’m looking forward to that one.
Bonus Tips:
We had a three-day retreat but in the past we all couldn’t get away for that long, so we host a one day retreat.
1 hour brainstorming
Writing
Lunch
Writing
Then go home
We’ve done these a few times and find them very productive.
I hope these tips are helpful to helping you plan your great writer’s retreat.
Where do you go on your writer’s retreats?
