What Makes a Great Writing Retreat?

In less than ten days, I will be heading to a writing retreat. Not only will I be participating in it, I will be leading it.

Leading is a misleading term, in this case. It will be a completely loose weekend. There won't be any let's-all-gather-together-and-write-to-the-same-prompt times. There won't be any guest speakers. We'll eat. We'll write. We'll eat. We'll meet with our response group partners a couple of times over the two-day span. We'll write some more until, reluctantly, we have to go home.

I've taken part in many writing retreats, and I always try to distill the experience down to its very essence as I analyze what worked and what didn't. Thinking about it, what I need in a retreat is hopefully the same as what others need...

In my opinion, this is what makes a great writing retreat:

Things to nibble on--I know that doesn't sound crucial, but for me, the chance to get up occasionally to get a handful of pistachio nuts ensures I occasionally get off my rear end. When I roam over to the snack table, I get some think-time. (The pistachios are still in their shell, which adds to the think-time. I drink lots of water for the same reason. When I have to get up and go frequently, that helps move along my writing process.) Taking the focus off my writing for a moment means I can focus onto it in a different way.

Something to stare at--This place (we've had our retreats there for several years) has lots of glass. When I need to, I can gaze out at the landscape outside. There's stained glass surrounding us, which can also give me a momentary break as I stare. However, it's also easy to ignore as I'm hunched over my laptop when the words are flowing like floodwater.

Time--Of course, this is the best thing about the writing retreats I love. Having large expanses of time to write and read over my writing is a luxury I don't get to enjoy very often. When I have all morning to write, or all afternoon or all evening, that means that when I get into a groove, I can keep the momentum going. There's nothing tmy progress to a screeching halt.

The icing on the top: I'll probably take a nap that will most certainly involve drooling and snoring. Thankfully, I have a room to myself, so no other humans will be harmed by my napping.

How about you? What would be the components in your dream writing retreat?

Sioux Roslawski is a middle-school teacher by day and (judging by this week) a drooler on the couch by night. She rescues dogs for Love a Golden Rescue and is working on her manuscript not-consistently-enough. If you're intrigued (and not horrified, by this point), check out her blog.