A Writer's Getaway

This past December, my husband was nice enough to give me the gift of time and privacy for my birthday by allowing me to have some uninterrupted writing time. So after spending the day packing, getting my 10-month old all set for my husband and mom to watch (including writing up directions), and cleaning the house for my mom, I was off. I drove across the Elgin border to St. Charles for a writing retreat at a hotel.

What I needed was a chance to read my work-in-progress novel without interruptions. With a baby, that’s next to impossible. Usually I read a couple of chapters and then don’t get a chance to look at it again for a couple of days. By then, it’s hard to remember little details of consistency: (What day of the week was the last chapter? Was X in this version or my last draft? Did I use Y expression already?) Staying in a hotel where I could concentrate seemed perfect.

I left on a Friday night and returned on Sunday. It was just the right amount of time to get through a middle grade novel. I would highly recommend doing this, even if you live alone. Being in a different environment can be inspiring, not to mention being excuse-free of reasons not to write (“the laundry’s piling up,” “let me just mop the floor, then, I’ll write,” “I haven’t made bread from scratch in a while,” etc.).

To save you some time, I’ve written up a list of what to bring, besides your basic packing stuff:

Writing Related

• notebook paper—Be optimistic: bring lots.


• a clipboard or other hard surface if you like to work on the bed instead of a desk like I do.


• different colored pens—I found it useful to write all the changes I wasn’t sure I wanted to make in a different color pen. That way, if I changed my mind, I could easily find those particular changes and remove them.


• Post-It notes—Good to bookmark pages when you flip back and forth between sections.


• different colored highlighters—I learned a terrific exercise by attending a conference by Darcy Pattison. You shrink your manuscript to a font small enough to fit your entire manuscript onto 32 pages (play with the margins and single space). You then use different colored highlighters to highlight whatever you want to examine for flow in your novel. You then lay out your novel on the floor and can see the entire thing in one look.


• laptop computer (Note: ask ahead of time whether the hotel AND YOUR SPECIFIC ROOM have wireless. My room must have been just on the cusp of wireless coverage. I got a good 30 min. of online time and that’s it. (It ended up being a good thing, as I didn’t have access to time-sucking Facebook).


• keyboard, mouse, etc.—It was worth it to me to have a mouse instead of using the touchpad of the laptop. I was fine with the mini-keyboard of the laptop, but if you’re not, keep that in mind. Nothing’s worse than having time to type and being uncomfortable.


• printer—Yes, you heard me correctly. I purchased a small HP printer from Walmart for $35 (color and black ink included). It was SO WORTH having with me. Sometimes I redo a page so extensively, I need to edit it a couple of times. It was helpful to be able to print it and write on a clean copy.


• printer paper


• flash drive—If you don’t bring a printer, you still may want to print. By bringing a flash drive, you can print in the hotel’s business center (or, you can always email yourself your manuscript and open it that way).


• scissors—in case you want to cut your story apart to lay out


• stapler or hole punch—I keep my novel in a binder. After I printed some new pages, I wished I was able to stick them in my binder.


• synopsis—If you change your novel, you may want to update this as well


• other drafts of the novel—I know I ended up referring to old copies of my novel for parts I had deleted from the most current version.
  

Non-writing Related

• snacks—Lots. Now’s not the time to worry about calories. Okay, I’m rationalizing the fact that I brought a jumbo bag of M & Ms, Red Vines, and Sun Chips, but let’s just refer to these foods as fuel for creativity.


• meal-ish Foods—I regret that I didn’t pack anything that could count as a meal. Because my hotel had a HUGE children’s chess tournament going on, the parking lot was packed. In an effort to not lose my great parking space, I refused to leave the hotel. That meant I had to eat at the restaurants at the hotel. Saturday morning, I spent $4 on a cup of Dannon yogurt and a microscopic box of Cheerios. I should have brought a couple granola bars, an apple, a box of raisins, etc.


• cooler—Again, for bringing your own food. My room didn’t have a refrigerator. If it had, I could have packed my own yogurt for under a dollar (can you tell I’m still bummed my yogurt cost $2.50?)


• water


• hand soap—Am I the only one that can’t stand how hotels still provide a bar soap instead of having a pump by the sink? I bring my own instead of using the slimy bar. A tip for any hotel stay.


• ipod and headphones, workout clothes, etc.—It was nice to take a break on the treadmill for a bit to clear my head. It also helped to work off about 4 M & Ms.


• swimsuit—A hotel with a pool was a must for me. I forced myself to make it to a certain page before I could take a swim break though.