What a Powerful Writing Retreat Looks Like

Chickens and sheep are my companions, but it’s okay because I’ve been productive.

Photo of author in secluded cabin provided by author.

I must admit, the idea of taking a writing retreat never occurred to me until my supervisor asked me if I was planning to take leave over the holidays. I work for the government, so leave is pretty flexible.

(Likewise, during the almost two decades since I joined the government, I’ve found that almost no work gets done between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.) So, if I were to scram for a few days — or even a week — Christmas week was the time to do it.

I’m No Good At Vacationing

Despite being a professional planner of events, programs and initiatives, I’m no good at planning events, programs and initiatives for myself.

I always find myself saying: “What? Christmas break is here again? But we just had Christmas a week ago!”

And so, if I were planning to go on a Christmas African safari, the idea probably wouldn’t occur to me until the day after Christmas.

I Needed a Secluded Location

When the question kicked in about whether I’d take leave during the Christmas time-window, I jumped on Airbnb’s website to find a remote…