How to Take a Writing Retreat without Breaking the Bank

Every window is an art installation with mobiles and colored glass bottles. Nothing is on the oak desk except my humming laptop and notebook. The house is silent except for the dogs occasionally turning over in their sleep with soft snorts. I’m in heaven.

Thanks to my artist friend Tom, who needed someone to walk his dog today, I have a place to bring my dogs and write outside my house. You’d think I wouldn’t need a writing retreat to put words on the page. My kids are grown and I’m a seasoned writer with many published books. But you would be wrong.

Writing any book takes more head space than most of us have at home. Facing a blank page can spark a flurry of panic brought on by the steady drumbeat of “I’m writing crap.” It’s easy to let family or chores interrupt your concentration. A writing retreat can keep your manuscript moving forward.

There are many writing conferences where you can meet other writers, attend craft classes, and workshop your manuscripts. These serve a purpose. You might network and meet your dream agent, or a mentor could critique your manuscript in a way that lets in some fresh air. But you won’t put many words on the page at these conferences with so much stimulation.

If you’re lucky, you might qualify for one of the “real” writing residencies in a place like Yaddo, MacDowell, or Ragdale. These provide ideal spaces and quiet time for writing, but they’re often tough to get into and require a lengthy stay. And, if you don’t qualify for a scholarship, these residences can be expensive.

Luckily, there’s a solution: Create your own writing retreat. Borrow a friend’s empty house or rent a cheap place off-season (like in a beach town in the dead of winter or a ski area during mud season.)

If you don’t have friends with spare houses and can’t afford a rental, another solution is to join a site like TrustedHousesitters.com. In exchange for taking care of someone else’s pets, you can have a quiet retreat.

Religious retreats are also an option. One place near me provides inexpensive private retreats to anyone in a contemplative mood; it’s an ensuite bedroom in a rambling house on a reservoir. For a few extra dollars I can take my meals in the cafeteria with the Unitarians and Episcopalians gathered for group retreats.

If none of these options are available, make use of your public library. Most offer tutorial rooms with doors that close, or you can find a quiet study carrel among the stacks of books. I’ve even driven to certain libraries outside of my town because they offer cafes or indoor atriums.

The toughest part of creating a retreat is believing in yourself enough to make it happen. If you make a habit of writing retreats, you’ll write more, guaranteed, because you’ll also start thinking of yourself as a writer.