Think of a place where you can go and focus all your time on your own writing projects. Your meals are provided or easily accessible, your accommodations are probably in a picturesque place, and you can spend two weeks, six months, or a year in this place. Writing residencies sound pretty snazzy, right?
One of my goals as a writer is to attend a writing retreat or residency. There are different ways these are structured. Some are available by an application process only; require letters of recommendation, previous publication credits, etc. Some residencies allow you to work on whatever writing project you like, while others request a proposal and acquire ownership of whatever work you produce during the time there. Typically writers have to pay their own transportation to the residency, but each program is different. There are writing retreats that cover the costs of your meals, while others just provide free accommodations. I have not been able to find a retreat or a residency that will allow pets, so that would add to the “free” cost of a program since I would be paying to board my dog Ramsay while away. Also, some programs do not offer Internet access because they want writers to focus exclusively on their work. This would be a problem since I would lose income on my time away. (And we know I love to maximize my travel time by being able to work!)
I described the concept of writing residencies to my non-writer boyfriend last year after I received another rejection letter from another residency I had applied for. Wouldn’t it be great if I could have two weeks in this beautiful cottage out West where I could just write whatever poetry I felt inspired to write every day? I asked him.
Why don’t you just do it? Make your own and go. He responded.
Hm. The thought hadn’t occurred to me. But it’s great to get accepted to one and put it on my writer resume, I offered as a reason.
Who cares? Why don’t you just do it? And you could bring Ramsay. And pick a place with Internet.
Hmmmm. He’s right. Why not?
While I have yet to pick the place, I wanted to pose concepts to other writers: Why wait for a writing retreat or a residency? What would your ideal retreat be like?
For me, my ideal retreat would include Ramsay and Internet as mentioned above, so it would need to be within a comfortable driving distance of North Carolina not in too desolate an area. I would prefer a location in the mountains, like a cottage by a river—one with a kitchen so that I wouldn’t have to leave every day for meals. Pretty simple, right?
Really, why not?
Write Naked 
Totally agree – writing is one of those things that is increasingly location-independent, and I think it’s a shame not to use this to one’s advantage. I travel and write quite a lot, and my own preference is for somewhere with a bit of life. I like there to be something going on in the evening so I can have fun and unwind. I stayed in the historic centre of Seville for a while and it was probably as close to living the dream as I’ve got – just great doing an hour or two then taking a late breakfast at a street cafe.
Oh, yes, a Euro backdrop on a writing retreat would be a dream! Portofino has been on my list, if given the opportunity! I think if would have a nice balance of natural beauty and good food / town activities.
I was thinking about a solo vacation along these lines recently, not exactly a writing retreat in my head but sort of. My idea would be to stay somewhere I could walk to a coffeeshop with good tables and a restaurant or two with outdoor seating and a good beer selection.
Not exactly Walden Pond, but I think it would work for me. 🙂
Hmmm maybe your Walden Pond is Savannah. Or some coastal Maine town. Monterey would be my first choice for you!
Oh, I absolutely love this idea. And I agree with your non-writer bf. Sometimes we just have to create these experiences for ourselves without the confines that the structured programs often have. Bring your dog, breathe in some fresh air, and get to writing in the mountains. Sounds heavenly to me, really 🙂
I’ve done a couple of residencies, and there’s really nothing like having all that time to focus on your writing. I’ve done the Writers in Paradise workshop down in St. Petersburg at Eckerd College, and I’ve done a three-weeker at The Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach. Both were fabulous.
My only caution would be: the point of a residency is to Get Away from Work and focus solely on a creative project. Just taking a trip to somewhere else and still having to work and check email and blog and whatnot isn’t the same as a full-time residency where you can be your creative self and keep your mind solely on that. A working vacation sounds like what you’re planning, Tara, and those are often productive in many ways.
But it’s not the same as a residency.:)
Wow, 3 weeks?! Amazing! Yes, I would need a “working retreat” or something with flexibility so that I can have a few solid days dedicated to creative work without interruptions.
I do exactly that, rent a reasonably priced beach cottage once a year and lock myself away for a week on my own. No internet access, at least one long walk a day, quick easy to prepare meals when I feel like it, coffee shop near by, phone my husband in the evenings, TV that never gets turned on, shelves of books, wonderful wood fire during winter months. The writing produced is usually way beyond what I’d achieve at home. Go ahead and organise your own writing retreat, I recommend it!
That sounds fantastic! I like that you make it an annual event; it shows it’s a priority.
It’s usually in winter when there’s not to many distractions around!
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