Five Good Reasons to Go to a Writer's Retreat

Reason #1

Your Retreat Location May Be Near an Irish Pub

Here I am, with Angela Durden, enjoying a break from our creative writing at beautiful Blue Mountain Beach at the recent Write By the Water retreat! We had such a good time! You know, it's hard work being a writer!  We have to feed the muse.

Reason # 2

It's Good to Get Away from the Fam' for a While.

The demands of domestic obligations and entanglements can sometimes overwhelm our creative impulses. A little privacy and solitude can recharge those literary synapses. That's me at home in Alabama, second from left, wearing my obligatory domestic apron. Well, actually I'm third from the left if you count the donkey.

Reason #3

Your Brain Will Thank You

In the words of our host at Write By the Water:

"Held at international locations on, near, or at the water, we cater to the needs of dedicated writers, offering the time, space and solitude needed to give full focus to your writing projects."

I can attest to the fact that nothing encourages creative thought and expression more than being near the ocean, listening to the sounds of waves touching the sand, the cry of seagulls overhead, the smell of salt water and clean air. Writer's Paradise!

Reason #4

Time to Think, Compose, Write, Rewrite, Organize, Edit

Those are the actual pages of the first three chapters of my Moonlight Ridge sequel. This marvelous writers retreat provided lots of quiet, uninterrupted time to get those characters headed in the right direction.

Reason #5

Take a Deep Breath of Fresh Air

Then hurry back to the laptop, pencil, and paper! Write on!

Writing By the Water

Over the week-end, I went to beautiful, glorious Blue Mountain Beach, Florida for a three day Write By the Water writers retreat.

It was awesome! I had a glorious three days of walking on the beach, pondering, plotting, and recharging my creative batteries. Got some work done on my work-in-progress, the second book of The Moonlight Ridge Series. Talked to some beach birds, called my greeting across the waves to my dolphin friends.

 

On Saturday night, we had the pleasure of hosting a very creative and active local poetry group,

Say Word! Everyone got the opportunity to read to the group. I read my poem On Becoming One With Earth. And we listened to some fabulous guitar and vocal music performances by Weck and Rhoda, and creative easy-listening music from ConsthanDivine, whose name I may have spelled correctly, and maybe not. He's a sweet, talented fellow, and I'll correct the spelling if I have it wrong.

Here's ConsthanDivine Harris on the left, Maria Schabla on the right, and Angela Durden in the middle.

Linda Sands, the extraordinary organizer of Write By the Water, did such a marvelous job. She had everything ready for the visiting writers, and all we had to do was show up and enjoy ourselves. Linda is so talented, energetic, fun to be around, and her organizational skills are amazing.

Thank you so much, Linda, for a marvelous retreat.

I heartily recommend Write By the Water to all my writer friends. The next one is scheduled to be in Sicily! Y'all go for it!