Do You Need a Writer’s Retreat?
We freelance writers are bombarded with distractions: e-mail, blogs, social media sites — the entire Internet — along with phone calls, visitors, family, pets, and more. It’s difficult to get our writing done.
My solution? Get away from it all by heading out into mountains to focus on completing my writing assignments and projects.
My Writer’s Retreat: I Go Camping
I personally prefer camping. I go way out into the forest far from any actual campground and find a level dispersed-camping spot with good shade. I take a whole list of things when dispersed camping, but most important for writing is a comfortable folding chair, a folding table, any necessary work/research materials, and my laptop. I have a device that converts the DC electricity from my car battery’s cigarette lighter into AC current to run my laptop directly, or to just charge the battery, so I can write as much as I want.
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There’s no Internet and often no cell phone reception. In short, nothing to distract me except nature.
For everything you need to know about dispersed camping, check out my book Camp for Free: Dispersed Camping & Boondocking on America’s Public Lands.
Another Writer’s Retreat Option: A Cabin in the Woods
If camping is bit too rough for you, consider a writer’s retreat in a cabin. There are many places scattered around the United States and the world where you can rent a cabin cheaply. Some places specifically cater to writers and artists. You might also know someone who has a cabin or isolated home where you can house-sit.
Don’t Have the Time for Camping or a Cabin in the Woods?
You can also do this for just an afternoon by going to the forest or a park or picnic area, or any place you will be relatively undisturbed and will be in nature. Just be sure that you don’t have Internet access and your cell phone and any other electronic devices are turned off, and that you are in a beautiful and tranquil spot.
Key Considerations, Especially for Campers…
1. Be prepared for the weather. (Check the forecast.)
2. Be prepared for insects if you plan to write outside. In many places mosquitoes can be a major problem. You can use repellent or you can set up your table and chair inside a tent. Ants can also distract you and potentially bite you. Place your chair carefully. Make sure you are away from both ant mounds and ant trails.
3. Bring a comfortable chair, but also one that won’t sink into the dirt once you sit in it.
4. The folding table must be large enough to hold your computer and any reference materials.
5. For both the table and chair, pay attention to proper ergonomics as best as you can.
6. You can usually camp for free (boondocking/dispersed camping) on National Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands. Get detailed maps and advice from your local office. You want a level spot that you can access easily with your vehicle. I find that heading down smaller dirt roads off main dirt roads is the best bet.
7. Make sure you have adequate food, water, clothing, and shelter.
8. Tell someone where you’ll be and for how long.
My 2009 Writing Getaway: Camping
In July of 2009 I spent several days camping, writing, and exploring in the mountains above the Middle Fork of the Sacramento River west of Mount Shasta. Here’s my campsite…
And here’s my beautiful golden retriever Molly taking a swim in the little creek right next to the campsite. (Molly passed away in 2010, at the age of 14. You can read my tribute to her here.)
And here’s a view of Mount Shasta…
A bear story. Molly and I took a hike up the dirt road by the camp. I looked across a meadow and saw what I thought was a black SUV driving slowly. A few seconds later I realized it was a humongous black bear and that my perspective was a little off. On the way back to our campsite, we heard very loud crashing in brush 50 feet to our left — another bear, although we couldn’t see it.
I’m Off Camping and Writing Right Now…
I’m writing lecture outlines for a college-level science textbook, a project that’s due this Friday. I’m leaving this afternoon (Monday) to camp in the mountains west of my home near Mount Shasta, California, and I won’t be back until Wednesday. I’m looking forward to reading all your comments when I get back.
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With my short and powerful self-guided course that explains:
— 7 aspects of your life that can lead to lucrative freelance writing niches
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— 9 ways to increase your expertise
— And much more
Update!
Just returned and the camping trip was just what I needed. Here’s what I did:
- Recharged my mental and physical batteries.
- Got even more work done on my science textbook lecture outlines project than I had expected.
- Did at least an hour of tai chi every day.
- Saw the waning gibbous moon rise both nights.
- Looked at the stars with my binoculars.
- Did a six-mile hike, some of it cross-country, to Chipmunk Lake.
- Saw two very large bears together on said hike: one black and one cinnamon. As usual, by the time I get my camera out, the bears went behind some trees.
Your Take
Have you ever taken your laptop out into the woods to get some writing done? Did you camp? Stay in cabin? Any suggestions to add here?
These are great suggestions. I’d been thinking about my own personal writer’s retreat, and hope to do one eventually. In the meantime, there’s no reason why I can’t pack up my stuff and head for a shady woodland park. Thanks for reminding me that it doesn’t have to be ‘all or nothing’.
Parks are a great alternative. Just last week I spent the afternoon working at a picnic table in the city park in Mount Shasta.
John- I like these ideas a lot. It is so important to get away from media to be able to focus on any of life’s projects without so many distractions.
Funny story from the summer–I got one of those DC to AC converters and was working from the truck in the hills of the southern Sierra. I ended up charging my computer for so long (without starting the engine) it killed the truck battery. This forced me to put away all technology and just read for half a day until I was lucky enough to have a truck came by and jump started me. I really enjoyed this time without any access to electronics–I was stranded on a mountain with a million dollar view and nothing to do but sit, enjoy and ponder…
I’ve nearly done the same Michael.
I spent several months of both 1999 and 2000 traveling around the western United States in a van (with two golden retrievers). I often would spend up to five days out in the forest working on my freelance writing projects and exploring the area. I had a voltmeter that I used to check my regular battery and the deep-cycle battery just to make sure I didn’t drain my main one too far.
And I know what you mean about no electronics at all. I take several short trips a year with nothing, just the cell phone for emergencies.
I could go to the beach and do this far more than I do…
I’ve never been able to do much work at the beach. Too much sun, plus worries about getting sand in my laptop.
Great ideas John. I have spent weeks camping at pretty creeks in Wyoming and at hot springs in Idaho, churning out books on my computer. Here are solutions to two problems.
Regarding power for your computer: Get a small solar panel and hook it up to your car battery (or an auxiliary), and then you can use power to your heart’s content and still have plenty left over to start the car, run the lights, radio, etc.
Regarding skeeters: Get a small pavilion w/mosquito netting walls. That way you can comfortably sit at your computer table and move around with ease inside the pavilion without getting bit. Plan B is to get mosquito clothing with netting on the face, etc. The good news is that it doubles as a sun shirt. That way you don’t have to put spf and deet all over your skin (yuk).
I really like both of your suggestions. I find that I can go a couple of days of running my laptop for writing and the interior lights for night reading without draining the battery, but longer than that can be a problem.
I was fortunate that there were almost no mosquitoes where I camped this time. I was far away from streams and meadows.
Great ideas. Getting back to nature always spurs my creativity. I actually try and stay as ‘disconnected’ as possible, even in my daily life. I’m not too drastic about it but I’m one of those “no landline phone, no TV (drastic for some, I know), no email alerts” sort of people, and my current office has a view of the forest behind my house.
Every little helps.
I really like your style Karen! I’m making good progress on minimizing my connectedness to what’s really essential, but I can still improve.
I find that the more I simplify my life, the happier I am.
Love the bear story… family rumor has it my grandfather once hooked a lion on a fly line!
And you know you and I agree on taking breaks.
Good pix too John.
Thanks
Wow! The lion must have been quite close and quite interested in your grandfather.
Great ideas! Everyone needs to get away and take some time to let the creative juices come back to us.
Everyone needs a little retreat 😉 In any working field, too much is never good. Little problems grow to unsolvable enigmas…but just little work in the park “reset” the mind.
It like cleaning a house after kids “assault” so it ready for another one.
Don’t think I’m quite cut out for the woods (mosquitoes LOVE me!), but I do find that I write better and more when I take at least one opportunity every day to get outside. I’m lucky enough that I have a pool in my backyard, and the fresh air and sunshine does wonders for my energy and focus. It’s a little challenging in the winter time (I live in Canada!), and there is no question that my productivity in the middle of December stinks!
Ruth, I’m fortunate to live in a rural area, and I work out on the patio furniture on the back deck whenever I can, or I’ll go outside and sit under a tree to do necessary reading.
This sounds so great but I have two questions:
–How the heck can you read your computer monitor outside? I have a hard time writing outside even in my own yard because of the glare. I’ve been hoping to find some sort of shade or anti-glare device to protect this. Do you just have a better screen? I’m using a mac.
–where to you get those AC converter things. If I can figure out the glare thing, this sounds like such a great idea!
Hi Sarah. I solve the glare problem by always working in the shade, which also means I don’t have to put on sunblock.
And I got the DC to AC converter thingie at an RV supply store, but it might even be at a place like WalMart, and you can certainly get it on Amazon.
Have fun out there!
That sounds like a great way to focus on writing. It’s hard when you’re stuck inside at your computer and don’t feel motivated. The outdoors, though, can give you that relaxed feeling and allow you to get into your writing without worrying about all your other problems. With all the new lightweight solar panels it might even be reasonable to bring your writing laptop backpacking soon. I will have to look into that. Anyway, great article. Take care.
Hi,
I am planning to go out on a solo road trip for precisely this purpose. Leaving from SoCal and hoping to make it up to Canada.
I’ll have a rooftop tent on a land cruiser so feel pretty safe about all that. I am worried about running into bears and stuff, especially because I’d love to go out somewhere that’s totally isolated from people for a few days and also enjoy hiking.
Do you have tips for bear / animal safety? Or in general about being out on your own?
Monica, do a Google search for how to be safe around bears. In Canada you could encounter grizzly bears, which can be problem.