JESSICA THERRIEN: Road Trip Wednesday: Writing Retreat

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link -- or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.

This Week's Topic:

Describe your dream writing retreat. Where would you go? Who and what would you bring?

This is a fun one. It's like a fantasy vacation for my mind!

First and foremost, I would bring absolutely no one but myself. Otherwise, I'm sure I wouldn't get any writing done...Okay. Okay. If I'm going to Hawaii in my mind, I have to bring my husband, but that's it (and he's off scuba diving while I'm writing or something).

Source

I'd wake up every morning, really early. Grab a coffee. Dig my toes into the sand. Whip open my tiny pink netbook. And WRITE. In reality, I'd probably get all set and ready and nothing would come to me (My brain doesn't cooperate like that...rarely do the writing ideas flow when I actually have the time to write.) BUT, this is a fantasy scenario, so let's just say I write full perfect chapters every day.

Wouldn't that be nice...

What would your dream writing retreat be like?

8 comments:

JessJanuary 4, 2012 at 10:59 AM
I think mine would be quite a lot like that!! I love the beach :)

And that's so cool! I didn't know you had a book coming out until I looked at your site today!! That's so awesome, congrats!!
AnonymousJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:28 AM
I just finished building my writing retreat in my basement. No windows to distract me. Just a desk, comfy writing chair, and my 8.5-foot Tom Baker Doctor Who scarf.
Colin SmithJanuary 4, 2012 at 12:29 PM
My retreat would be nothing like this. I'm not really an outdoorsy kind of person, though I will grant that this sounds idyllic--nothing but the soothing sound of the waves, and a gentle sea breeze. Very relaxing. I wouldn't get anything done. :)
Jaime MorrowJanuary 4, 2012 at 4:24 PM
That sounds perfect:) I like the idea of sitting with your feet in the water while you write. Relaxing and inspiring all at the same time!
Meradeth HoustonJanuary 4, 2012 at 9:26 PM
I certainly would love to go somewhere with warm sand and a nice view to write! The beach is such wonderful inspiration!
LAHJanuary 5, 2012 at 6:56 AM
Okay, so I actually tried this! I moved to Xi’an, China in Spring of 2010 with aspirations of completing a novel, and ended up going absolutely nuts over the isolation (I didn’t speak Chinese or have any English speaking contacts around). It was an amazing sort of nervous breakdown, and it birthed my WIP, but I definitely realize that writing is something that can only be balanced in my life… Being alone with my laptop with no wifi or cell phone did not produce great writing—just hours of dizzying introspection!

But okay, if we’re dreaming… I would go to Antigua, Guatemala and surround myself with other travelers… writing in cafes by day, drinking in little bars by night, and climbing volcanoes on the weekends.
kjmckendryJanuary 6, 2012 at 1:38 PM
I would either want to be in a mountain retreat with a forest and a stream trickling by, or looking out over the ocean.
BragonDornJanuary 6, 2012 at 8:03 PM
I could write really well back in my high school math class. It isn't extravagant or nice but I had great ideas in there.