Imagine gathering your laptop and tucking it into your bag.  You head out and roll up on that cozy cabin in the woods… or that Air BnB on the coast… or a room high up a tower in a bustling metropolis.  You settle in for some inspired time where you can write without distraction.  Those destination writing retreats can be fun and beneficial, but you may be better suited doing the same thing in your own living room.

The Allure of a Destination Writing Retreat

As a writer I get ads all the time for these big elaborate destination writing retreats.  Some of them sound kind of cool, too (until I see the price tag and I nope right out of there).  These things usually have a fantastic location that is designed to inspire creativity.  Often, they include motivational speakers who can help guide you through your writing.  They’re usually well-structured too, so you can focus on ideation, creation, and reflection along the way.

But they include a lot of big buts (as opposed to a lot of big butts, which might be better butts).

Travel, lodging, and the retreat fee can get prohibitively expensive.  Just getting to the retreat can cost hundreds, the lodging can bump that over a grand, and then the fee might be several thousand more.

Now that you’re invested financially, you feel like you have to get a ton of work done.  You rush through your writing, that scenery that at first inspired is now a distraction – anything to get you away from the screen.  You struggle to write, you stay up too late trying to get caught up, and it becomes anything but a productive retreat.  Or, it just becomes a vacation with a notebook where you go home hardly having written a thousand words.

Besides that, you have responsibilities back home.  Family, job, house, bills, and if you take even a few days off the friendly war with the neighbor, he’s going to get the upper hand!

There is, however, a better way.

The Reality of an at Home Writing Retreat

If you really want the productivity of a writing retreat, set it up so you don’t have to go anywhere.  You can create the scenery or creativity sparks right at home.  You don’t have to worry about travel, you don’t have that high price tag, and even if you end up without productivity, you don’t have the buyer’s remorse that you spent a bunch of money on something that really wasn’t beneficial.

Proper prior planning is essential, though.

How to set up a Writing Retreat at Home

You can’t just say, “You know what? Tomorrow I’m doing a writer’s retreat right here at home!” and then expect it all to work.  Instead, here are a few tips on how to get that thing going the write way.

Block the Dates – Just like if you were going on vacation, block 1 to 3 days in your calendar where you’re going to focus on writing.  If this is to be successful, it has to be like a destination retreat where ALL you’re doing is focusing on your writing.

Create the Rules – No chores, no emails, no social media.  You probably should just silence the phone and not even get online at all.  Even if your book requires some research, just make a note in the document and go do the research later if it needs to be done.

Advance Prep – Prep all your meals (or have a system to get them delivered to you).  Arrange for childcare, take the dogs to be boarded, run errands and pay the bills ahead of time.  Your at home writing retreat will work better if you have absolutely no distractions.

Create Goals – Figure out what you want to get done.  Remember, you’re not going to pound out 50,000 words in a weekend, so keep these things realistic.  Allow some breaks, nobody can write for 8 to 10 hours straight.  Maybe break the day into 3 blocks.  Inspiration and write in the morning.  Inspiration and write in the afternoon.  Inspiration and write in the evening.  Find that inspiration ahead of time (maybe a TED Talk or something) and have it ready to go so you’re not doom scrolling last minute.

Your home writing retreat might not hit the first time, but that’s okay.  Maybe you weren’t ready, maybe something came up.  The good news is that you’re not out thousands of dollars; instead you know how to better prepare for the next one.  Then, multiple times per year, you can have these quiet mini-retreats instead of splurging every 5 years.

Consider Hiring a Ghostwriter to Help

Of course, maybe you do create a couple of these little at home retreats.  And no matter how much you prep, or plan, or dive into your writing, it just isn’t hitting properly.

That’s why ghostwriters exist.  I’ll swoop in, pick up where you’ve left off, and finish the book for you.  Your words, your voice, and your name on the final product – I just helped weave it into a story worth sharing.

Ready to get that book across the finish line?  Pick some time on my calendar and let’s have a little chatty chat about it.