My Solo Writer’s Retreat

Underwood typewriter. Pic by self.

Author Yi Shun Lai and I were, by pure chance, recently on simultaneous solo writing retreats at opposite ends of the US (her California to my Connecticut), something I learned when I saw an Instagram post of her “day 3” retreat thoughts at around the same time I was posting my final solo writing day update on Instagram.

In her reflections on her retreat, in which she shares what she looked for in a location, writing conditions she set for herself, her feelings about the project she’d brought with her, and helpful tips (and more — read it!), Yi Shun asks, “Have you tried a writer’s retreat? How did it go for you?”

How It Went for Me

First, what I left behind

I’m not a parent. I don’t have a traditional job. (I freelance, but not full time.) I live with my husband Ian, two cats, and a dog.

So, what’s there to retreat from, exactly?

Cats chewing my office plant while I’m trying to write. (It drives me bonkers.) A dog needing daily multiple walks and some play. The same dog sitting next to my chair and looking up at me with woofy face.

“Wwww….oof.”