5 Things You Get From a Writer's Retreat
We are so lucky to have a guest post written by Wise Ink author Kim Hruba, founder of Red Shoes Writing Solutions and coordinator of the Lake of the Woods Artists’ Retreat to talk about all the wonderful benefits of taking the time out to focus on your writing! Prepare to be inspired!
Life is crazy busy. Believe me, I know.
I have five kids ranging in age from 3 to 17 years old. With the crazy of our home life come all the activities associated with each stage of childhood: play groups, piano lessons, swimming lessons, summer camps, children’s theater, church school, 4-H, volleyball, cross-country, and track, Speech Team, Knowledge Bowl, Robotics, Driver’s Ed., impending graduation, college visits, scholarship applications, and – dating.
That laundry list alone is enough to exhaust anybody. I won’t even talk about work. (You know, that stuff you do outside of writing your book?)
It’s easy to let life get in the way of your passion and publishing. That’s why I created a writer’s retreat to help, not only me, but others escape the crazy in order to spend time reconnecting with that other love of your life. (Writing that book, remember?)
5 THINGS YOU GET WHEN YOU RETREAT AND PUT YOUR WRITING “FIRST”
Focus – Do you even know what silence sounds like anymore? At the end of the day, how long does it take to quiet your mind? Quieting your mind benefits both your general health and productivity. It gives you focus.
Inspiration – Why do people go on vacation in Hawaii? Or in the Rockies? Because it’s beautiful! Nature inspires us! The best writing getaways get you outdoors and rejuvenate the creative spirit.
Rest – How often do you get 8 hours of sleep? Many retreats provide all the meals and take care of all the housekeeping so all you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy writing.
Support – Everybody needs a tribe. Enjoy spending time with people who “get you.”
Time – What’s the one thing that people want when they’re on their death beds? Not money. Not things. Time. Why wait ‘til you’re dead? Take the time now to reconnect and rediscover how much you love your book (and really, really want to finish it.)
Whether you choose to take the time for a writing retreat this year, next year, or in five years – there will always be one constant: The crazy busy of life never stops.
"In the haunted house of life, art is the only stair that doesn't creak." - Tom Robbins
Don’t wait for your calendar to fill up. Schedule the time to put your book “first” and, most importantly, make time for you.
After four years of hosting writing and artist retreats, I guarantee you will come away inspired, refreshed, excited and ready to finish that manuscript when you get home.
Good luck!
Kim Hruba is a novelist and content creator through her business, Red Shoes Writing Solutions. She published her novel, Etiquette Girl, with Wise Ink in 2014. She has a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Minnesota and certification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) from Hamline University. She is a member of the Teaching Artist Roster Program (TARP) for northwestern Minnesota and hosts her own annual writing retreat on Lake of the Woods in northern Minnesota. To learn more about Kim’s retreat, visit www.redshoeswriting.com. Register and pay in full by May 1st and save $50!