Guys, the peonies did it.
In the time since I last wrote to you, they’ve bloomed and drooped, and I saw today that there are new buds growing.
In early March (look at that snow!) I wrote about creating an at-home writing retreat, and I got some great tips from poets Twila Newey, Christen Noel Kaufmann, and Chelsea B DesAutels. I’m thinking about their advice again today because I’m about to leave for a weeklong writing retreat in Virginia at The Porches. I’m originally scheduled it for last May, and when I had to cancel, I felt such a deep sense of despair at never knowing when I’d be able to go anywhere or really focus on my writing again. I know we’re not out of the woods yet, but it really does help me to remember that even in late fall we thought it might be years until there was a good vaccine.
To get ready for this focused writing time, I’ve been thinking about two tips from that March column, and I’ll share them here because I think they’re equally useful if you’re writing in the woods by yourself or stealing a moment in the grocery store parking lot or between meetings:
Define your goals for your retreat
DesAutels organized her retreat around copyedits for her book, plus a desire to draft new poems. Newey’s approach was more flexible, and she wrote a big list of possible things to write and read, then selected a few from each list.
When I was writing my dissertation, I learned about A tasks (things that require your full attention, like drafting a new section or explaining a complicated idea) and B tasks (the things you can do when you’re less focused but have some time you want to devote to writing, like researching journals or tinkering with specific aspects of revision). For my writing retreat, I have daily word count goals, and I also have a list of A tasks and B tasks. I won’t get everything done, but it’s helpful to have a list of projects in advance. I’ve found this practice to be especially useful when I’m at home and busy - it’s great to have a set list of ways to dive in to the work, even if you only have bits of time here and there.
Establish a rhythm
DesAutels based her schedule on the one she’d used previously while at a month-long residency: “I planned to wake every morning at the same time, make French press coffee, and write early and for as long as I needed until I had a poem draft. Then I’d walk the dogs and eat lunch. I planned to spend my afternoons working on the other projects. I brought food that wouldn’t require much preparation. I planned to spend my evenings reading and revising.”
There’s a great conversation during the Commonplace episode on Macdowell about setting up a routine during a residency that includes several different poets’ approaches.
I’ve written a little daily schedule (similar to the one above) on a notecard, and I’ll follow that for the week, because I love structure. This can work when you’re at home, too - look at your calendar and see if you can find even 10 or 15 minute time slots during the week to dedicate to your work.
A few last notes:
It’s day two of the #1000wordsofsummer. I’m going to be running a day behind this year, as I believe I did last year, so if you want to join, you still can! You can sign up to get free daily emails with encouraging words and practical tips from Jami Attenberg and other guest writers.
I believe there are still some spots in my workshop “Hermit Crabs and the Art of the Nonfiction Essay” at Murphy Writing’s Midsummer Online Writing Getaway, happening in July. The full list of workshops is online here. If you enjoyed the April prompts, I think you’ll love the Getaway.
We’ll have an interview soon with Beth Pickens, whose great book Make Your Art No Matter What is full of useful tips and encouragement for writers and artists of all types.
I hope you’re having a great week, and that your writing is going well. I’d love to hear from you about projects you’re working on, challenges you’re facing, tips that are helping you keep going through it all.