Being a university student who also works multiple jobs, going on a writer’s retreat can be a bit of a far-off dream at times. Life is non-stop, not to mention that writing retreats can be expensive for a collegiate budget.
So, when I realized I had five, mostly uninterrupted days off for Thanksgiving break, I had to at least make an attempt at making a writing retreat of my own. It was no secluded cabin in the woods, but it was a moment for me to at least attempt to put things aside and focus on my creative pursuits for a bit.
Even with some stomach problems and a migraine, I managed to write 27736 words of The Unwanted Sacrifice, bringing me to about a quarter of the way through the draft!
Could I have potentially gotten more done? Yes! After getting 10k done on the first day, writing very much slowed down as the days went on. Partially, I had to deal with physical issues, and there was something called Thanksgiving in the middle of it? Even if I didn’t celebrate with anyone in particular, I still had to complete some cooking and baking for my own purposes.
But a week later, I still love the feeling of creation that I had during that time. Starting from the memory of a chaotic, barely planned first draft and a brand new outline, I soon had the beginnings of a more functional draft that has potential for me to eventually finish. There is still some chaos, of course, but it’s the good kind of chaos. Like ridiculous book titles for my character to find.
Is there anything I would have done differently? Of course! My little DIY writer's retreat certainly would have benefited from a better atmosphere (with candles and such), some food pre-prepared, and maybe some occasional changes of scenery. I can only sit on my couch for so long, after all. It would have been nice to have a buddy around, too. Even after just a few days, I was a bit unsocialized by the end of it.
Overall, though, while a full writer’s retreat is still something for the future, it was a lovely experience to have a few days dedicated (almost) solely to my personal projects. I did have to immediately panic over my finals, as university is still a thing until May, but for at least those five days, I could mostly pretend that school didn’t exist.
It’s just a little taste into what I hope I can one day have, where my weekends can be focused on books and authorly foci, not homework. Even over the upcoming winter break, I’ll be having to get work done for one of my jobs and my capstone project. It will be a while until I’ll have another moment like this, where I can just sit and forget anything that’s not about my current project, maybe even not until May.
Until then, I’ll write when I can. That’s all I can do.
コメント