Checklist for Your Own Personal Writing Retreat


  • A quiet location (not home). Libraries are good for this.
  • Something to look at. A window to the outside is nice, but in a pinch you can use one of those over-sized picture books from the photography section and place it, open, against the back of a library desk
  • Something to listen to. Use an ambient noise mixer and a soundtrack to have some nice, wordless ambience. I choose the Ravenclaw Common room on Ambient Mixer and the Harry Potter Soundtrack on YouTube.
  • Clear goals. What do you want to get done during this alone time? Make sure you know your schedule and what you want out of this session. Don’t let yourself come out of this retreat without meeting at least half of your goals.
  • Something to read. You may get bored staring at the blinking cursor but, rather than use this as an opportunity to browse Facebook, why not make that time productive? Read something you’ve been meaning to for a long time, or grab something entirely new from the shelf just because. You can also have your favorite inspirational writing guides nearby to keep you going when you falter.
  • Water. I know the library says no water bottles, but that fountain looks unsanitary! Bonus points if you can sneak your Hydro Flask all the way across the library to your little love-nest of words.
  • Food. Don’t let a trip to the closest Mickey-D’s derail your flow. Bring a lunch and schedule yourself a picnic with a book! This will get you outside and in the sunlight where your mind can flow free from the raging task-master you’ve no doubt become.
  • Chocolate. This is not food, this is sustenance. How can you keep writing without some sort of pleasure-center stimulating chemical?
  • A sense of humor. Because when you’re alone in the library penning what (you hope) will be the next Harry Potter, it can be difficult to take yourself seriously. So don’t!
  • Your library card. Remember those books I mentioned earlier? You’ll probably want to take those home. You know, to “study.”
Happy writing!

Comments

  1. Taryn ImwalleFebruary 5, 2015 at 6:57 AM

    GREAT IDEA. I need to get out of my house and find a place that will encourage productivity! Making the library my "office" is a good way to commit to a word count. I will try this today to see if getting out of my "comfort zone" (read: bed, where I normally do my writing) will stir the imagination and remove the block. Thanks for the tip. I will let you know how it goes.

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    Replies
    1. Carrie CallahanFebruary 5, 2015 at 4:35 PM

      Usually, I find it helps to form a habit by going to the same place every day around the same time to write. Try to keep the conditions as similar as possible to use good ol' psychological conditioning to your benefit. Good luck!

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